Unbelievable how quickly time flew ! Jan 2015 felt like it was not too long ago and now we are at the first day of the new year. I was supposed to finish this post yesterday but that obviously didn't happen because I was too busy rereading Goong. But yes.
Every year I do something that's kind of like a reviewing my year in a nutshell kind of post so obviously, I want to do it this year as well. (afterall, it's all wonderful procrastination !)
But this year, I want to do it in a slightly different manner. Rather than to do a general overview of what a fantastic year it had been, I want to do it in ... 3s.
Which is abit like the highlights of each subsection of my life and then end off with the 3s of 2016.
Top 3 Movies I Enjoyed in 2015
I was wondering if I should put it as the top 3 movies I enjoyed this year or the top 3 movies of 2015 that I enjoyed greatly. Then I decided .... maybe just those released in 2015 because ... this blog post would otherwise get too horribly long XD.
Released in 2015
The Man From U.N.C.L.E
source: google
*_* Okay, is this where I scream? Yes ? First, let me fangirl over how cute the leads are. Henry Cavill plays the very charismatic Han Solo, while Armie Hammer plays a rather stoical, but can be bad-tempered, Illya Kuryakin. (Which btw, is REALLY cute -squeals-). Alicia Vikander plays Gaby, the daughter of the scientist Udo Teller who was held to help with the nuclear plans.
The whole movie was nicely paced and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was funny, it was banterous, it was filled with a little romance, it was just what I needed for a cozy little afternoon relaxation.
Elizabeth Debicki was absolutely fantastic in her role and I love her as a villian :D !
It's definitely a movie I am going to get my flatmates to watch together >:) !
And feast your eyes on some goodies below :3!
TRAILER:
The Martian
Source: Scifinow
I am still surprised by just how much I enjoyed this movie. Don't get me wrong, it is incredibly lovely and got me hooked from the first scene to the last. It was just .... I never thought there would be a day where I would sit in front of ,my laptop and blog about how much I love a sci-fi movie.
Of course, it is helped by the fact that Matt Damon is in it. -cough- I liked him in The Adjustment Bureau (and of course, from that movie onwards, both him and Emily Blunt became my one love.)
The entire movie didn't leave a moment for me to be bored, which was what I was expecting.
I heard great reviews and everyone was raving about it. But I kind of went in with no expectations, especially because it is not the usual genre of movies I tend to like. I never expected to like Sci-fi. But if all the sci-fi movies are of similar pace, similar humour and good storyline, I will go for it.
But I digress.
The Martian was filled with comedic moments, intense moments, it had me hooked, it had me leaning forward in anticipation, it had me laughing and smiling. I really loved it. And the casting was well done. Plus, as the ever so concerned consumer, I am delighted by the variety and mix of actors and actresses. There were different ethnicity and women were in position and doing jobs of what people would say a typically geeky, nerdy job.
And they gave important roles to these as well. So ... I am pleased because everyone could act, I am pleased because of diversity, I am pleased because of the storyline, I am pleased because of the effects. I can't say how much more pleased I could be.
Oh and it became a conversation starter at Christmas, and my godcousin said the book was even better so ... new book in 2016 to read for me !
Trailer:
Inside Out
Source: Screenrant
This is the movie of the year because it made so many grown-ups (and teenagers) cry. Sam watched this thrice and the first time he went with his friend, his friend was so overwhelmed by the movie ... he cried. So all of them had to give him a hug.
If that doesn't say anything about the movie, I don't know what else could. I absolutely love how emotions were portrayed here and how each memory as a kid shaped us as a teenager, an adult. How we have a dominant emotion in us etc.
Sometimes, being sad isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is a healthy way of expressing yourself and reacting to the situation. A little sadness is okay. Everything in moderation. I was blinking back tears towards the end of the movie and I was a little appalled at times by Joy.
She was bossy, she was bordering on rude towards Sadness and everything. But at least, at the end of it, she became tolerable and discovered how wrong she was regarding Sadness.
It's a movie I would like to watch again, maybe in the comfort of my bed and privacy of my room so I would sniff sniff and not be embarrassed.
Trailer:
With that, we conclude the top 3 movies of my year. So moving on .... the top 3 places I visited this year. Being in the UK meant that I would have ample opportunities to get started on travelling at the tender young age of 20. And though I haven't been to many places, I have enough places to pick my top 3 from.
I am just going to list them randomly and not going to rank them since I don't think I would be able to say that I love one place more than the other !
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Top 3 Places I've Visited in 2015
Berlin
Though I did have kind of a scare in Berlin where I was almost a victim of pickpocket but it was a lovely trip still. I love the architecture, the people, the history, the ease of getting from one place to another. In fact, I love this place so much I want to come back again after learning German (which I am in the midst of doing!) !
I don't think I have seen enough of this place and the next time round I come, I'm going to do a better job at planning ahead XD ! But yes, it's such a beautiful, lovely place filled with good food and plenty of art supplies store to dig into !
There are a couple of museums regarding WWII that I haven't had the chance to go and the next time I go, I want to listen to the Philharmonic as well ! My time in Berlin was too short ! That's what I feel XD !
Bruges
This is definitely not the best photo of Bruges, I promise. We were in Bruges during our Easter Break and it's really such a beautiful, scenic place ! Just like the one below.
We didn't always have very good weather, so the other photos I have are all of gloomy skies. Plus the week we went, weather was mostly horrible. The wind was so strong that my hair was basically slapping me every single moment. But I loved my experience there.
It was there that I realised why people always regard Belgium as the country of chocolates. Once I tried the ones here in Bruges, I am amazed by the texture and ingenuity of these chocolate artisans. There was this shop where I had the most amazing chocolate.
It was silky smooth and had creative flavours like white chocolate and basil, coca cola etc. Who would have thought white chocolate and basil could go so well together ! And the coca cola flavour tasted exactly like the coca cola flavoured gummies ! I was so amazed by it that I wanted to go back to grab more ... then I realised that I actually don't remember where it is. -facepalm-
And they do a really good violet chocolate too. It's basically chocolate with violet flavours in it and violet flowers on it. I never knew I could love this flavour so much. The flavours of the violet flower just erupted in my mouth and it was so, so, so, good. My entire oral cavity was the sweet fragrance of the violet and... when I burped, it was a sweet burp as well.
-cough- Moving on.
Isle of Man
I had an amazing time on the Isle of Man. It was basically a trip filled with so much nature and I love it so much. It was definitely windy and there were a few wet days. It didn't help that my hostel didn't have wifi but being away from the buzz and all really was a different experience.
Especially because I pretty much navigated around without the use of 3G and google maps. I was pretty much using maps that weren't the best and were very general but somehow ... I managed to survive.
The island took my breath away the moment I disembarked from the ferry. It was beautiful, from sunrise to sunset. I saw seals swimming up close, I saw so many beautiful buildings, I saw so many beautiful ruins.
I climbed some of the most beautiful hills, walked alongside the coast, I went on a few different railways, I went onto the top of the highest peak on the island and almost froze to death.
It was such a beautiful experience and I want to go back there again in af different time of the year so I could catch those cute little puffins !
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Top 3 Blogs
Naturally, I spend more time reading blogs than updating my own. Because let's face it, it's so easy to be sidetracked by general busyness of daily life and the added stress of the things I chose to take up. Plus ... updating a blog is actually a lot more tedious and tiring.
By the time I am done with university work, I hardly want to edit the photos and upload them, then talk at lengths about them, which is why there are a lot of drafts sitting around since -gasp- September.
So kudos to those bloggers who update so frequently and are really nice.
It was purely and entirely luck that I chanced upon The Sunday Girl. I don't even recall where I even came across her. In fact, it is not the normal type of blogs I read. I prefer reading about you know, life, controversies, events etc. In fact, I am not even a makeup kind of girl. Heck, I am not even a skincare kind of girl !
But I truly enjoyed The Sunday Girl and I have to admit ... I did end up splurging on the things recommended and reviewed by her. Like the Library of Fragrance perfumes (I bought Snow and Kelda got the Gin and Tonic and Sunshine one) and planning to get other lovely goodies from Woodwick candle for my candle-loving siblings.
She churns out high quality posts frequently, in fact, she posts them faster than I could read them and she is always so humourous and delivers the content in a light, delightful manner. Her photos are always so pleasing to the eye as well. I would say, it's really my favourite blog this year. (and maybe the next too !)
I've been a loyal reader of Fourfeetnine since a while ago and I follow her both on Dayre and on her blog. But now more on her Dayre since it's something I could read on the go and it's so convenient to read since it's on an app, rather than having to open up new tabs on my phone and having to enlarge those teeny weeny alphabets on the screen as it was made to suit a computer screen.
She's always so funny and her words always seem to attract my attention and draw the laughter out of me. Every single time. Her stories about her family always moves me. She's truly remarkable and though she's always such a joker and a breath of fresh air in the blogging scene, I always get reminded of the time when she's carrying Fighter and was fighting against pre-eclampsia.
She saw positivity in the worst of situation, she fought really hard and I truly, wholeheartedly salute her and am proud for her to be my idol and so grateful that I am a reader of hers.
Once again, I can't remember HOW I got to know this blog but I liked it. It's a mix of lifestyle stuff and beauty stuff. I love her blog and vlogs. She comes across as a very sincere and fun person and I enjoy her writing style very much.
I have to admit though, I haven't been reading her blog much because I am lazy and I tend to forget to check for updates. But I like all the posts that I've read so far and she's truly great fun to read.
And yes, she has got really beautiful photos ! Or at least, I love looking at them alot.
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Top 3 Apps
Forest
This app has been so incredibly useful for me in terms of revision. It forces me to get off my phone and actually do proper work. At the same time, it allows you to be very flexible in the amount of time you want to stay focused. You don't always have to work in blocks of 30mins or 60 mins.
I work better in blocks of 20 - 25 mins so I adjust accordingly. I get really surprised when I fail my trees so this has been really good in keeping me on track. It's free on android but it requires a small fee on the Apple store.
However, for me, that small amount is really just a small investment for me since it is so useful for me.
Dayre
I am not always a very frequent updater of Dayre since my life is never exciting. However, it's a good alternative to conjure up a long, detailed blog post like this. I can blog on the go in snippets, it has a decent amount of stickers, etc. The only thing I find lacking is in the filters for photos. It obviously cannot compare to the filters provided by other apps like Instagram etc.
But yes, Dayre serves me well in documenting all the little daily things that wouldn't find a chance to make it on this blog because I am really lazy afterall. It is just so much more convenient to blog in tiny bits ! And good for documenting my travels because no one's going to lug around a laptop on a holiday !
Neko Atsume
This app took the world by storm and so far ... the craze don't seem to be dying down just yet with the recent update that brings us many new cats that I'm still trying (and failing) to attract. In fact, this game has been so popular that people are starting to come up with spreadsheets on what are the best way of maximising returns and the like.
For me ... I just like to collect cat pictures. All the cats are so adorable and my favourite has got to be Saint Purrtrick. xD !
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Top 3 books
What if ?
Author: xkcd
Now, do not confuse this with the movie, or the book it is based on, because this book is all about science and logic (or maybe not) which is the exact opposite of the other book. But anyway, yes. Basically, the author receives tons of sciencey questions that are a little strange (and sometimes stupid) from his readers.
Instead of dismissing them all as fools and ignoring them, he compiled a book based on these questions he receive and answer these absurd questions in a humourous and scientific way. Now, when I say absurd, it ranges from: "Could you assemble a periodic table made out of the elements?" to "What if the Earth were made entirely out of protons and the moon completely out of electrons?"
And mind you, he really did answer each seriously with tons of references and help from the real, professional scientists. It's an incredibly nerdy, geeky book that is perfect for a science lover.
Or if you just want to see the world burn, quite literally in some questions.
The Time Keeper
Author: Mitch Albom
I'm sure the name Mitch Albom is a name people are familiar with. He wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, The 5 People You Meet In Heaven, Have A Little Faith, For One More Day and others. The thing about his books is that he construct a story with things he want you to take away in a short length of time.
None of his books are painfully long. Every book can be read in less than a day and it resonates with you. I didn't like The Time Keeper at first but the more I read, the more I like it and the more I am ashamed with myself for wanting to give it away to someone else instead.
But now ? I have already reread the book at least thrice and that is saying something, considering the fact that I don't actually have the habit of rereading a book unless I love it to bits.
Milkyway Hitchhiking
Author: Sirial
I laid my eyes on this in Waterstones and after that.. I am sold. I couldn't justify forking out £30 over pounds on the 2 volumes at one go so whenever I went to Waterstones, I head straight for the graphic novel shelves and read a few pages at a time.
Well, I did eventually buy both of them and I was filled with sheer joy as I devoured the book and have already reread the books a couple of time. Milkyway was really, really cute and the stories in there were so heartwarming and lovable !
I dont think I ever stopped smiling as I read the book and kept sending snapchats of it to my sister.
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3 Best things that happened to me
Visiting Venice
I promise it is more spectacular to see it in person. The skies were absolutely blue and the Sun was happily blaring down. It was filled with tourists from all over the world even though Summer was approaching to an end when I visited in September.
It is one of the best things that happened to me because this is almost every Singaporean Social Studies student's dream. This is the one city that we learnt endlessly about in upper secondary and this was the city that I pinned my entire life and dreams on.
I practically dreamt and vomited Venice onto my social studies O levels paper. It was the only topic that I memorised every single detail on and I placed all my hopes on it, hoping it would be one of the topics. And it did.
So I guess, in a way, the reason why I am here on British soils was because Venice came up in O levels. Okay, that might be stretching it a little. But yea, it gave me an A2 in O levels so .... I still think it played a major role in my life.
This city we learnt so much about, going there and seeing it with my own eyes was a little bit like my own personal pilgrimage. Going there ... was indescribable. It was like, feeling something end, feeling like that part of my life has come to a close and I am prepared to start a new chapter in my life.
I walked the corridors of the doge palace, I strolled along the river and crossed the bridges as gondolas languidly pass under it. I visited the beautiful Burano with its brightly coloured walls and brought back a piece of Venetian glass from Murano, the very thing Venice was very famous for in its glorious days.
I have seen the beauty of it and indulged myself by getting a mask that now hung above my pinboard. I now say goodbye to Venice and thank you for being a part of my teenage years, and the year when I turn 21.
Getting the Dr Crawford Memorial Funds
Yes, it's not a lot of money but to even get it I am delighted. I don't know if I had a chance or anything but to get it ... YAY. And now the money is sitting quietly in my bank.... well, not for long.
Being loved dearly
You don't know how much you are loved, until you are gone. You don't know how much you are missed, until you are gone. There are a lot of things you don't know until you leave home.
My mum came over in April to spend a week with me because she missed me and she put up with my snappy self because I was exhausted and didn't have any energy to interact with anyone. I was snappy because I was going all around everywhere and feeling really tired while I had to deal with my mum. But I now look back and only see my own faults. Why hadn't I been more patient and loving to my mum who spent so much to fly halfway across the world to see her daughter ?
When I think of those times, I think about the times my mum laughed and took care of me. I think about how happy my mum was to see me and the places she wanted to see. I think about her redden eyes and nose as I got off the tube and she was on her way home.
I am loved dearly by my sisters who got me Christmas presents and the Tiffany & Co. key necklace for my 21st. I am loved dearly by all of them and my dad who checks up on me from time to time. I am loved dearly by my uncles and by my godaunt who took me in for Christmas and her family who showed me such love and care.
I know I am a blessed child who is being loved dearly by friends and family. And my friends' family. Sam's mum wanted to check up on me and made sure that I am not alone for Christmas. Caroline's family nearly turned the car around to pick me up when they realised that I was still on campus, Sophie's mum invited me over to their house. Karen and David Gray wanted to know what I was doing on Christmas to ensure that I won't be alone.
I have been shown so much love and warmth by everyone I know and I wonder, what had I done to deserve all the love I've received.
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3 New Experiences
Attending my First Nutrition Conference
How was it? How about ... I nearly died ? I was so overwhelmed by anxiety and fear that I almost chickened out. The only reason why I didn't was: I paid £110 to attend the conference so I am going to go even if it kills me.
Like honestly, all morning I was all worked up and worried and I was like holy hell, why did I sign up for this ? The problem was that I went alone and everyone else there were PhD students or professionals and made me feel very out of place.
I couldn't talk to anyone, I was just there hoping to blend into the walls and just wished for it to go faster so I can go home. But you know what ? I survived it, learnt a hell lot of stuff from it and I know that if I were to go to another conference again, by myself, I can do it with even more confidence than this.
Becoming President of SCoop
I'm not used to being in a leadership role where I am supposed to look after the entire society and actually decide on things. It makes me really stressed. I made mistakes here and there, I am still learning from it. But I am happy to be surrounded by so many people who wants to work together.
Being in this position made me work very hard to juggle everything I had on my plate. Everyone thought I was crazy to do everything at once. You know, also doing German on my free days. I am so overwhelmed by the craziness in the first term but I think ... it has been a steep learning curve but I am thankful for this opportunity.
I want to be more active and not be so passive so this was a good chance !
Helping out in Silage
I am totally becoming a country girl, something I think no one expected since I have lived all my life in modern Singapore where it's a concrete jungle, except for the brief 3 months that I spent in New Zealand for my internship in 2013.
This Summer, I was so lucky to have been invited over to my uncle's friend's place in Cheshire where basically, they are famous for farming. Everyone in the county is involved in farming one way or another.
So their family had a farm, not them. So they needed help to cover up the silage which would be used as feed in the Winter. So I had my hand at it and it was quite a bit of work and I enjoyed it. They teased me about becoming a farmer's wife if I am not careful xD !
In fact, this year I had a lot of farm-related experiences. I went to watch my first agricultural show, visited a biodynamic farm, helped out in silage, went potato picking, sat on the back on a tractor etc etc... And I even got to learn how to drive a car which I immediately stalled as I was driving on the field. ^_^
It had indeed been a fun and joyous year with horse riding as well !
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3 Most Important Thing to Remember
Everything that I fear regarding a relationship is all in my head. I have to accept it and move on.
I have been single for 4 years now and everytime I think of a relationship, I retreat back into my shell and do that whole 'I am a strong, independent young woman who need no man' thing because I am afraid of heartbreaks.
I think of failure even before it started. But Lisa knocked some sense into me. I can't live like this and cling onto fear like a lifeboat when in reality, it's a sinking boat and I would eventually sink with it. I have got to accept my fears and accept that yes, it may happen but it might not. So accept that and move on.
Stop being scared. There are worse things to be.
Yea, like being dead. If it doesn't result in my death, then move on courageously, bravely. Try new things, take a leap of faith, do something new or do something I love. ^_^
Keep moving forward.
Because I don't gain anything if I keep looking back at what could have been or what was of it. Because I will forever be stuck in the same limbo if I keep reminiscing the past and forgetting to move forward.
Moving forward will bring me both new highs and lows in life. I will learn new lessons, meet new people, maybe suffer a few heartbreaks, but I will become a better me, I will be living a life. Looking back into the past so frequently would hinder me and not allow my development and maturation into a new age.
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3 Things I've learnt
My value is not in numbers.
The great hoohaa in 2015 was the fact that ... I gave myself food poisoning and missed my exams. ;_; I was devastated and I honestly thought the world was collapsing on me.
How devastated was I? I cried in my room for an hour or so and my sister was so worried about me that she had to call me to calm me down and comfort me. It was something that never happened in my life and at that point in time, I was inconsolable.
All that ran through my head was that I am a failure because I missed an exams and my grades (which weren't considered in the classification of my degree in the first year anyway) were going to be shit and my family would be disgraced.
But you know, if there was one thing I learnt from it, it would be, I am a person, a real living person with dreams, hopes and fears. I feel and hurt. I am a living person who is 3-dimensional and I am not a person who is defined by numbers.
I am not my grades, I am not my height or weight, I am not defined by how many friends I have, how popular I am on social media, I am not defined by my age.
They are all a part of me, but they are not me. One thing does not define me or my value. I am priceless and valued by people who loves me relentlessly. Which brings on the next lesson.
I am enough.
All my life, I thought I was inadequate so I spoke softly, lowly and humbly, almost spinelessly. So I allowed myself to be trampled within an inch of my life. So I walked with my head hung low. So I plaster a soft, pleasing smile on my face.
So I tried to correct it all and tried to improve. So I tried to work harder than ever, all to fill up that inferiority in me. So I could speak confidently.
But I learnt. I am enough. I don't have to be so desperate to improve, I don't have to be chained down by my inferiority and I have equal rights to be standing on the ground. I am not inferior to another person, I am my own person. I am changing to be better but it's not because I am inferior but because I want to improve myself so that I could achieve my dreams.
When I admit that I am enough, I can move on fearlessly and achieve my dreams.
I don't know is the most powerful, most courageous thing a person can admit.
This are the wise words spoken by Lisa when we were all in a car heading towards SUMA. All my life, I have been expected to know what I want in life, to know what I do want to do in future, to know my interest at a young age.
No one told me it was okay to not know even if everyone else already had their life planned out ahead of them. No one told me that I don't know is a powerful phrase.
But Lisa told me this.
I don't know is so powerful. When you say that you don't know, it meant that you are not being constricted to any prior ideas of what you want. It meant the world is open for you, the world is your oyster. It meant that you are able to grab onto any opportunities that comes your way without having to decide too much and if it deviates from what you think you want.
When you plan out everything, you miss out on little things and you are constricted by your own ideas. Most people don't dare to admit that they don't know. So when you do admit it, you are very courageous and you are in the best position ever.
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And so with that, here's a little song to listen to and recap 2015 in the stream of melodies ^_^
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