2015
2016
end of year
thoughts
the year at a glance (and more)
2:02 PMWhere do I even begin to describe 2015? Twenty fifteen. The numbers roll off my tongue so easily, so effortlessly.
Every year I tell myself life will be better, every year I tell myself the next one would be better than the last. But I don't know when I stopped looking forward to a new year. Perhaps when I realised every year we grow older, and with age comes change and I've never been good at coping with change although I admit that it happens. Or perhaps the year was so good I never wanted it to end. You know how they say that things can always be better? Like how you tried so hard to make something perfect and it turned out to be, but there'll always be room for at least a slight improvement.
In retrospect, 2015's been real good. Not perfect-good, but with every setback was a lesson learnt, painful or not. And there was minimal crying this year, in fact I laughed a lot, I can feel it in my bones (no, actually just in the additional wrinkles at the corner of my eyes). To be honest, I can't really remember what I cried over (except when I watched Our Times twice hahahahaha). Then again, I've always been good at forgetting things that make me upset.
At the end of the year I'm always thankful for the pictures taken because they really jog the best of memories. Note to self (and my friends) to keep taking pictures in 2016 hahahahaha.
I prepared a short photo journal that sums up the year but had a hard time deciding how I'd like to organise them. In no particular order, here are what and those who made 2015 such a memorable year.
He's the true goofball really.
For Father's Day this year, we had lobster porridge at Sembawang and I've not stopped raving about it (or asking to go back there again).
This year was one with many milestones for our family: Han turned 18 and my older brother graduated from University. The children are growing up (this includes me) and honestly, I wish that my parents remain as they are as we grow older every year.
My hectic days in University have made me cherish time with the family even more. For the past two years, I'm either in school or at training or hanging out with my friends and at night when I lie in bed at night I often think about the lost time I could have lavished on my parents instead. You'll find me in my parents' room every other night blabbering about my week, or being a pest in Han's room. Anyway, if they don't see me at home my parents would ask, "may we take a number to meet our daughter this week?" which is a hint for "okay time to spend some time with the 'rents".
This year we also spent more time with our grandmother. Every week my mom will ask her out along with my aunt and my cousin Jin for coffee and we'll spend the afternoon just talking over snacks and occasionally walking around indoors.
Two of my cousins got hitched in the later half of the year and it was the true representation of how we're all growing up :')
I remember being adamant on evening out my various tan lines as a result of a few sailing competitions before summer. Sis is and always will be my best tanning buddy. With my final exams ending within the second day of exam week, there was no excuse not to head to the beach (we always turn into lobsters after these sessions hahahaha). We've known each other for so long but we barely meet twice a year (despite living so so so so so close to each other what even). But I'm still infinitely thankful for this friendship that surpasses time spent together physically. It's beyond that.
No prizes for guessing how many bloody takes we had to do for this one shot (that isn't even perfect hahahahahaha).
Starry Night with the sailors before summer where yknow, I kinda projectile-vomitted into a large green bin (at least it was into the bin!). And that was the last time I got thaaaaat wasted in 2015 #muchragrets
SMU Sailing. Wow, where do I even begin!!!! It's been one helluva year. ONE HELL OF A YEAR. This is what takes up a humongous bulk of my Uni life be it physical trainings (land and water) or settling administrative work related to the Club. This bunch is also probably the ones I see more often than my family/parents/boyfriend/best friends. From regattas at least three times every semester to social gatherings that can hit the wild side (hehehehe), I think I signed 90% of my Uni life to the Club. Despite the difficulties we face now and then, I truly see us as a family.
This year, I campaigned for SEA Games with three other amazing sailors and I gained a wealth of experience. I must admit I wasn't ready to give up everything to become a professional sailor and so I was part relieved that we didn't qualify. Nonetheless, the entire experience was really once in a lifetime.
It was a year of stepping up because bringing 20 sailors around in Pattaya wasn't the easiest thing to do (seeing how I left Andrew behind not once but twice lol I'm sorry Fong) and taking them back to our hostel after a night out in Bangkok was even worse. Thank goodness for sober people hahahahahaha ;) After which we had Sail Camp to organise.
Besides that, I also chaired Western Circuit in August, which proved to be the largest challenge I've faced in the Club. The setbacks were no easy feat and for the first time ever, I felt that I was taking lessons out of the classroom. Everything was surreal. I've taken away so much from the entire planning process that started more than six months before the actual event (which lasted 3 days) and among the many lessons, my favourite would be to trust the people around me, and to trust that they will not let you down.
Like every year, it's been a real good one with the sailors be it on water, on land, in Singapore (in school), overseas, at bars and clubs or on specific occasions like Christmas, Halloween or Mid-Autumn.
The 11th.
God, we work so terribly together (if one of you is reading this you'll agree with me come on be honest). Ever since the start of our term we're been looking forward to the end of the year and the day has finally arrived!!!
I regret not being adamant enough on my own stands (yes Vic, I know I'm always being pushed around) and being the easiest to convince during our term. But my largest, largest regret would be not bringing about more change to the Club, be it good or bad. I followed status quo (because even status quo proved difficult to fulfil) and didn't dare to venture out to challenge long-standing traditions.
This is my largest takeaway from the Club and is a lesson I'll never forget (so damn applicable in life I reckon).
Still got that damn end-year report to compile...
Around February, Team Updawg was formed for NTU Surf 'n' Sweat. Ok Naval Divers can be seriously competitive and can you believe we headed to the beach a couple of times before the actual game day to practice?? Really guys, it's a casual beach competition... (I guess I'm secretly competitive also) Well we came in 4th out of 48 teams, not too shabby and rewarded ourselves with pork knuckles at the end of a long day at the beach :') Bren will say I'm stealing his friends but aye, Team Updawg lives yo.
This year, we celebrated every birthday and took a trip to JB together twice (it's actually become quite a tradition every semester). Time with Vega (lol Starring Camp) is always precious because it takes us sooooo long to settle on a date to meet (you know how it's even harder when there are more people). Definitely one of my largest takeaways from SMU, I cannot believe it's been 3 years.
Damn parcel was $100 to ship over to Copenhagen (when the contents were less than a third of the total cost), but okay fine it was worth it I hope you enjoyed your kaya ryl.
It's another year down with Cheryl and 2015 was unlike any other (every year seems unlike any other tbh). This year was a year of goodbyes and reunions when she left for Copenhagen for 6 months and returned full of stories and experiences to share!! It was also our first time going to the club together (what even???) after five years of friendship. Those great nights will never be forgotten ;) And as usual we meet almost every week (except during hell periods of school) and my favourite will always be the impromptu ones! With Cheryl I feel that judgement is always expressed (come on we're best friends what's there not to say) and may I say this once again although almost everyone (including Cheryl) disagrees on how similar we are hahahahahaha. Whatever we are still similar to me :')
In 2015 I also sent my longest friend off to Amsterdam (so many goodbyes) and it was not without tears. She's home now and we meet quite often cos we've been family friends for as long as I can remember (16 years!!!!!). Kelly's been a huge part of my life especially when we were young and nothing's definitely changing that.
Ok we only met once this year if I can remember but these people are staying!!! How can I ever forget my largest takeaway from AC -- the ones who stood by all the blood sweat and tears throughout the vigour of JC life. I hope we meet more often in 2016 because there's truly no moment of silence with this bunch hahahahaha.
Said goodbye and hello to Yun this year as well but our friendship never changes!!!! She aspires me to be as genuine and sincere about friendships :') On all our dates we always fail to take a proper picture because of bad lighting or no-so-skilled strangers hahahaha so this is the best one we took to round up 2015.
Met Li more than twice this year and over meals we catch up on what we've missed out on in each others' lives. It's been so long since secondary school and we've both changed pretty drastically (in a good way) but I'm glad we stuck together throughout the years despite walking such different paths.
Our group name on Telegram is "DON'T AGGRO" because of the high levels of aggressiveness the individual subjects possess. Our Waikiki Ops team shrunk this semester because half of them are away one exchange but it's also the first time we meet up with "full attendance". This is an unexpected friendship because I've joined so many org comms / camps but our Ops team emerged strong after the first semester of Year 1. We've all grown so much since then :')
I met a lot of exchange students in my first semester of Year 3 and ever since classes started, we've been talking about bringing some of them around when we were less busy. And it happened ^^ Anna the Frenchwoman and Trix the Dutch emulated the stereotype of how Asians are way more involved in taking pictures as compared to their Western counterparts ;) It was a great day out before the week of final exams and I hope our friendship transcends international boundaries.
My second Starry Night of 2015 was a blast, not without drunk photos and crazy shouts over beer pong or flip-cup. Sometimes when I find my nice "high", that sticks hahahaha.
Something extremely unexpected happened in Semester 1: found a bunch of keepers. These girls were the largest pillar of all my Comms classes hahahahaha they tide me through long night classes every Thursday. They're one hell of a crazy bunch but I'm glad SMU has more to offer in the form of friends made in class ;)
Sent Sheena off for exchange in August but she's coming home sooooooon :')
Like Ely put it, we formed 5-1(x2)+2 that night hehehe
8 dishes for this Christmas dinner proved a little too much for 6 of us (and my family)
Also spent a little too much time with Aizhen this semester hahahaha but it's been a great one, really.
The BEST nasi lemak I've ever had hahahaha
We've been friends for what... 11 years? We'll never be complete for the next one year (due to different exchange planning) but this long distance is no problem for us pffffft. Nothing much has changed in 2015 and that goes to say for 2016 as well.
Spent an entire year with Brendan and to be completely honest I cannot fathom how the year would've been without him. We're not the sappy sort in fact we're rarely expressive in public but I feel that meeting him was truly life-changing. It's been one hell of a year with ups and downs from his ORD parade, our trip to Bali and climbing that volcano that proved to be a hugest challenge of my life, to being apart for 28 days due to different travel schedules in summer and to embracing changes as he entered University (and we battled long distance hahahaha we are still battling it ok). We are still together and he never fails to amaze (or annoy) me with his habits that die hard.
I have decided to forgo New Year Resolutions and we'll see how that goes.
Here I bid a farewell to 2015 and embrace what's to come in 2016. Honestly, I cannot imagine what the coming year will be like because change is inevitable but I hope the ones who stay will always, always stay.
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