HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR//新年快乐Hahahah, did I wish too early? Just got back from a day of shopping at factory outlets for CNY goodies and lots of fooooddddd. I know there's tons of foodies out there and EVERYTHING is getting ridiculously expensive for the festive period. My condo's cleaning auntie paid like $80 for fish at the market?!?!?! Come, let me the budget barbie (*coughs* auntie) show you all the places to get your CNY foods and not go broke! Fragrance Foodstuff//美真香//香味肉干Bak Gua (roasted pork slices) are essential "to buy" CNY goodies. You can actually get them all year round but people are just willing to pay premium prices for them during CNY. I guess they do add to the festive mood, in a way. (& that humans find it a tradition to eat it in CNY?) THE GOOD NEWS Fragrance Foodstuff is having factory sales for CNY! If you're driving, check out the maps below! Not only do they sell their famous Bak Kwa, they also have TONS of tibits and goodies to choose from! RECOMMENDED ITEMS 1) Prawn/fish crackers 2) Variety of seaweed snacks 3) Sandwich sugar candies! (my favvvvvv) After you're done with Fragrance Foodstuff, feel free to cruise down the lane as well as the neighbouring lanes as there are other factories selling foodstuff as well! Some other gems that you can find are: - Tiger Brand Soy Sauce factory (The soy sauces are cheaper and there's also BKT packets and other kinds of seasonings!) - Fassler Gourmet Singapore (Seafood) Fassler Gourmet Singapore// The Salmon Factory in WoodlandsDoes anyone NOT like salmon here? I don't think so. Satisfy all your seafood cravings/needs/wants here! If you don't eat salmon, there's prawns, other fishes, scallops, MUSSELS (HELP I LOVE MUSSELS MENTAI MUSSELS) ALL THE SEAFOOD YOU WANT. Below you'd find their address, their opening hours each day and even their website if you want to order party platters to spice up your party! HURRY YOUR TIME TO CNY IS RUNNING OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT For the Easties/ Those willing to travelSo the west siders have Woodlands to supply them with good stuff. What do the Easties have? FRET NOT. DEFU LANE IS HERE TO SAVE YOUR CNY Camel NutsAre you nuts about nuts? Are you a nutcase? HAHAHAHAH keedz. I think nuts are a must-have because they are the best alcohol accompaniments. Also, they work well in keeping you occupied when you're bored or when you don't wanna answer all the silly questions from relatives. OTAHI'm personally not a fan, but I'd share with you guys anyway. @ LIM LUAN SENG FOODS INDUSTRIES PTE LTD Factory: Block 26 Defu Lane 10 #01-178 Singapore 539207Tel: (65) 6281 0359, (65) 6283 0022Fax: (65) 6284 3996Email: [email protected]Websites: www.limluanseng.com, www.otah.com.sg Try their famous spicy fish otah, (cooked on the spot! Or raw to buy home) Below is their comprehensive menu, go get your otahs! If you thought that's the end, Defu Lane has more to offer! You have to be adventurous and take your time to peek around! Go ahead, enter the factories and ask if they sell to the public! (most of the times the answer is yes^^) This "thick skinnedness" is how my mum and I found a place that sold handmade Yongtaufoo items! We got our hands on some prawn dumplings, mushroom balls and tofu skin! Of course, the range includes a lot of other stuff and this shop is just beside the Otah stall! That pretty much sums up what I have for you today! If you have questions or need more directions; leave a comment and I'd reply to you lovelies~ Have fun shoppin'!
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Hey guys! I know it's been a while; so sorryyyy. I've been busy with internship (boo that stuff) and whizzing around everywhere tryna keep up a bit of social life. Although I'm not done sharing about Chiangmai, I'll like to give some updates about the stuff I've been up to & of course to offer some new perspectives as well. There are seriously tons of lifestyle bloggers in SG alrd, who'd share with you prolly better fashion/beauty tips/eating places etc. So I won't call myself a lifestyle blogger but I'd do my best to share some opinions and a piece of my mind with you (literally) So this afternoon, I headed to Suntec City Convention Centre to attend the NTU talks. Was hoping to find out more about the courses but honestly the talks were really disappointing. Barely found out much and the lecturers were just promoting NTU as a school in general? So I decided to just grab some brochures and direct my queries to the staff at the respective booths. As you may or may not know, I'm currently pursuing a diploma in Accountancy at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I really don't like the course and what I'm studying. It's super NOT me, I'm insensitive to numbers, I don't understand or know what I'm learning. Been blindly trying to memorise to get by. It barely allows me to use my communication skills which I am more comfortable with :/ So I am opening up my options to look at other courses. My mum being protective of me and my future, is afraid that some courses may not offer good career prospects. And so I decided that I may just differ slightly from Accountancy to Business. Thus, I went to enquire at the Nanyang Business School booth, to find out more about the Degree in Business. TO MY HORROR, (actually I already found this out on the website, so I was reminded of the horror) I'd only be given ONE MODULE EXEMPTION: ACCOUNTING. That is equivalent to telling me: "I'm sorry but your diploma is useless and we don't recognise your 3 years of study at the poly." Like I already spent an extra year studying in the poly compared to the JC kid and now I only get saved from 4 hours of school for one sem? That. is. bullshit. What your JC kids know: Science, English, Math, Project work, prolly econs and some humans What I know: Business Management, Business Law, Corporate Law and Secretarial Practice, IT in Business, Macro and Micro Economics along with my Accounting modules and my valuable audit internship. And you dare to tell me that despite all this background from the best business school among the polys, I'm only exempted one pathetic module. My background means that I can be a more effective and efficient learner cause you can build upon a sturdy foundation. I've done project work that is actually practical and relevant and requires me to think about building my own business idea. I really don't know why I should be treated any less, Why my studies at NP are so undervalued. HORROR #2 YOUR SPECIALIZATION IS DEPENDANT ON YOUR GRADES IN YEAR 1. Let me put this in perspective for you: I am interesting in Marketing and I want to be a Marketing Executive in future because I believe in the art of selling. Often, its not about the product or the idea but rather, the way you sell it to the consumers. It's challenging, interesting and vibrant. I decide to pursue a degree with NBS and then specialize in Marketing. In year 1, I take mostly GENERAL modules that are synonymous with the whole cohort. I have to COMPETE & FIGHT & CUT-THROAT to get the specialization I want. If not, I may end up taking a specialization I don't like or may not score well in like Actural Science(If I wanted to be an insurance agent, I wouldn't waste my money on uni fees dude) or something. AND END UP NOT BEING ABLE TO JOIN THE MARKETING INDUSTRY BECAUSE MY SCHOOL IS A BITCH LIKE THAT AND THE "NERDS" WHO STUDY THEIR ASSES OFF AND HAVE NO LIFE OUT OF SCHOOL WILL GET MY SPECIALIZATION AND SCREW MARKETING ALL UP AND ME WHO HAS THE PASSION AND A NATURE THAT CAN BE HONED FOR THE SECTOR DOES NOT GET A PLACE IN MARKETING. Is this the same for other schools like SMU too? If it is, SG education system really needs to change. For God's sake just let us pursue our passions without guilt, strip us from the fear of trying and the fear of failure and I swear we'd all be much happier people who contributed shit tons more to the society than we currently do. Planning for university1) MAKE A MATRIX (using excel preferably) - List down the schools you are interested in. - Categorise them: Local/Overseas/Private -World rankings, (if that matters to you) -Location (travelling is a bitch, I know cause I stay in a freaking ULU part of SG) -Degree programme -Duration of the programme (time is of essence, my loves) - Indicative Cut-off points (which are ridiculously high) -No. of seats (to gauge your likelihood of getting a place) -Tuition fees -Number of exemptions (SG has proven to be really stingy with exemptions) -Application periods/deadlines -Scholarships/Financial Assistance/Overseas trips/Internships/School life(which doesn't exist they are lying to you) 2) DID YOU KNOW THAT: ? For Poly grads, the score you apply for uni is 80% GPA and 20% O Levels? This is quite relieving for me cause I did relatively well with raw scores of 8 and 6 for O's. But my GPA is like 3.57 so schools like NTU and NUS would prolly cut me off before they even look at my application. Nonetheless, I'd send my application in. (just to see if they offer me an interview of some sort) Honestly, I feel the most hopeful in SMU because the cut-off is slightly lower and I have a fair amount of confidence in my communication skills, should I go for the interview. I'm also planning to take the SATs so that I can open my options to SMU Law. I need to get 1400 points for the reading and writing components; I really hope its achievable. Really enjoyed law in poly! But well, I'd fret about all these on a higher level in Feb once intern ends. Saturday MunchiesThis ice cream sandwich is most heavenly thing I've ever eaten. You can find it at The Providore at the Mandarin Gallery for $6.90 They have amazing flavours, I took the Vanilla Chocolate and my date tried the mochacinno. BOTH ARE SUPER SEX DELICIOUS YUM YUM IN MY TUM YOUR TUM EVERYONE'S TUM. Had a Churros craving and TADAHHHH, we drove to HV and got some Churrosity goodness. Something about me: I DON'T HAVE A FAVOURITE FOOD. I go about my daily meals either just eating whatever is cooked/chosen or I go by my cravings. (yes I'm pregnant like that, problem? HAHAH) Can I just say I love my hair colour like that? damn. Took some OOTDs hehehe Then, went to Westlake Restaurant for dinner and they serve really good "Kung Bak Pau"! We also had: Fried Squid, Hotplate Tofu Sweet and Sour Fish and some beans. ^^ Havent been here in a while! People are like, OMG Amanda you really know how to live life up don't you? But well, I'd say: What else would I live for, if not for food? Tried Poulet for the very first time on Friday. Now I know why everyone's raving about it The chicken meat is tender and the sauce is sweet and has my favourite MUSHROOMS in it. Tried the french onion soup as well, which was good, just not very hot :/ Soup should be taken hot. (This pic was liked by Pouletsg and I am so happy teehee) I'm like going backwards but whatever hahahahha On Thurs, went back to school to reshoot a scene for my school's graduation video. It delayed awfully long, because the crew was inexperienced (FMS year 1 students sighpie) Nonetheless, we tried to entertain ourselves by talking bout celebrity gossips and more. I feel like a star with them. BAD MASK ):Previously bought some masks from The Face Shop in JB. I've used it once and did not experience any discomfort but I tried one on Tuesday night again and omg to my horror I woke up to my face being itchy and red and stingy and swollen. Not sure if it's because of the mask or because I put it on too long I really don't know. Been trying to save it with my 3 step Avene cleansing process: 1) Avene gentle cleanser 2) Avene Spring water mist 3) Avene Skin Recovery Cream I REALLY HOPE MY FACE REGAINS IT'S NATURAL BALANCE SOON THANKS AVENE I LOVE YOU KAYY. btw, Avene products are going at 20% off at Guardian till this weekend! Their products are awesome, go try! Esp the skin recovery cream, my mum has been using it for ages (rashes, itches and all) The wake-up callOn Thursday,
was talking to my babe and got a HUGE WAKE-UP CALL. I finally understand what it means to OPEN your eyes bigger and see people for who they are and their intentions,. She scolded me for wanting to waste my time to entertain people that don't matter and obviously just wanna play with me. It's really not worth it. Some guys just want to get into your pants. there, I said it, I think my perceptive skills of people are improving slightly? Can sniff out flirts and jerks better now. hahah, really don't wanna spoil my mood and think about "love" now. goodnight, XX. I know this is super late, considering that I came back from Chiangmai (otherwise known as the Rose of the North) last year (30/12/2013) BUT I still wanna share all the fun I had there! it was an anticipated trip, to getaway from SG and intern and all the bullshit; to be with family and to return to CM to meet up with my friends again! "WHY do you have friends in CM?" Well, last year in March, I went for YEP Chiangmai (Youth Expedition Program) where we had city homestay, village homestay and helped build an extension for the children's school. It was an amazing experience and we made thai friends too^^ Since Bangkok is rioting, CM is a good alternative place to travel to in Thailand(: It's more artsy and laid back. Without further ado, LET'S GO TO CHIANGMAIIIII Ps. I look kinda horrid in some photos due to the lack of makeup, please forgive me? After a 3 hour flight; we arrive in Chiangmai! Even though we were still full from the breakfast; we went for a buffet lunch at some hotel which was pretty but (the food kinda sucked honestly) With the kids; me being the eldest cous mehhhhhh Our only itinerary for day 1; was to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Other wise known as "The Golden Temple In the Sky" We took our version of the "Red truck" which is like a bus form of transportation in CM to the temple. The roads were honestly bumpy and winding as we made our way up the mountain! When we arrived, we were told that we had two choices: 1) Climb 300 steps to the temple 2) Pay for the cable car lift ride. GUESS WHICH WE CHOSE HAHAHAHAH As most of my friends would know, I am the "hopeless romantic" in the group. My life theme song, as quoted by them is "My heart will go on" by Celine Dion in Titanic and "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston. Sometimes I share about the love stories I read and I squirm a little, and they'd dismiss me as being dreamy or young. What I don't understand is, Shouldn't love be this way? Fill your insides with sweetness, have the power to break you at the same time? Love is no doubt the greatest mystery of mankind; it is a strong word (that is now thrown around carelessly) It is a force by itself and gives us hope, (another source of undying strength) In recent times, I realise that people forgot/misunderstand the meaning of love. Yes, I am young and I still don't know what love really means but I think I know what it should not be. In reading The Rosie Project (TRP), I've had several insights on this topic called love and I'd like to share my thoughts with you. Before I start, let me introduce you to the book. Professor Don Tillman is 39 and single. He is a geneticist and thus is like a total geek who knows nothing about dating or social skills. He is very precise about time, has every small detail scheduled to the minute. He even has a Standardised Meal System so he does not need to think of what to eat. (eg. Every tuesday he eats the same thing) All his attempts with women have failed previously, but he wants to find a wife now. So one day, he came up with this ingenious idea. He creates a 16-PAGE questionnaire, to sieve out potential candidates: THE WIFE PROJECT He puts general questions such as "Do you smoke?"/ "How often are you late?" and would immediately reject any girl who puts yes/sometimes etc Other questions are based on his past bad experiences. Once, he dated a vegetarian, and he feels that it's difficult to have to deal with their dietary needs, so he has a question to ask if his respondent is vegetarian! HONESTLY, I thought this was a brilliant idea. You already know what you want, so you can save time dating all the wrong people. I even thought, this would be an awesome concept for a dating site. You create an account with my dating site. You set up your profile. You craft up your questionnaire, with MCQ and open ended questions. And you wait for responses. Respondents can leave their contact details, so if you are interested, you can chat them up! BUT I REALISED, there would be many liars. which will render the whole system USELESS. So I guess, no choice, we just have to use extra time to sieve out the people around us by asking the correct questions in subtle ways and observing their lifestyles and hearing what they say. BACK TO TRP, Prof Don finds it difficult to find women that meet his criteria. His best friend, sends a lady his way; a lady that obviously does not meet Don's criteria. She has a tendency of being late, she smokes, she has a sustainable seafood/vegetarian diet and she drinks. She brings chaos to his schedule, and of course his life and eventually his heart. <3 One day, Don actually meets someone of his criteria but finds himself rejecting her. He has fallen for Rosie! it is completely illogical, but love is illogical. You fall for people you never thought you would. You do things for them that you normally wouldn't do; break your habits, try new things, feel totally different. HOWEVER, it is still always good to have a guideline, to know what is important to you and what you seek for in a partner. And if it happens that you grow into someone, despite them not being what you were originally looking for; means you really like them (I suppose) If you ask me what I would include in my questionnaire, these would be some of the questions: - Race (my mum has a strong preference for Chinese, not that I wanna be racist :/) - Nationality (If I marry a Malaysian, I have to spend a large part of my life travelling to and fro across the border, my dad is already Malaysian) -Age (Although maturity and age does not always run in tandem; but I don't think I can date a guy too young(more than 2 years younger) Or a guy that's too old (more than 5 years older) -Height (okay, I have dated not so tall guys before and I realised, I cannot live without heels because I am short myself -161cm. Besides tall guys give nice hugs?) -Religion - How often do you spend time with your family? (I think a guy with a healthy family is more whole as a person. I wouldn't want him grumbling when I spend time with mine!) - What dreams do you have? What is your future ambition/plans for the future? (When guys talk about their passions/dreams, their eyes light up in the most magical way) -Do you smoke? (I have my own perceptions towards smokers, which I shall not go into here) -How much do you care about your image? (I personally put in effort to dress up, but I don't think I can date someone vainer than me, hahahhaha) -What do you spend your money on? (Just for fun haaha, I spend on food, clothes, WATCHES) -Do you believe in horoscopes? (I really don't. Why let star signs dictate your life?) -Do you have a cause you care about? (I have an autistic brother, so naturally I'd care for them. I fight for the family cause too) HAHAH, will add more to this list when I think of more. "In a relationship"Another thought that I got while reading the book, is how "In a relationship" is MERELY A STATUS and not indicative of love. These days, people throw the word "relationship" and "love" around very loosely. Many relationships these days are out of: 1) Habit "I don't remember a time without him anymore." 2) Practicality, for companionship(in the sense of merely just to relieve loneliness/boredom), sex, money 3)Everyone else is in a relationship 4)Because he/she likes me and I don't mind. COME ONNNNNNNN. 1) You lived for years and you were okay without him. What do you mean you can't live without him now? Since there are no more feelings to speak of, why hold on? Aren't you afraid that by doing so, you'd miss out on someone you'd really feel for? "You think you may never get over it. But you also thought it'll last forever." If it's just purely out of habit, please just stop. End things, take time to readjust your life, find yourself again. 2) People are not tools. For you to use for a certain purpose. Respect the person. Earn your own money god. It's much more satisfactory than living off another person. 3) Yes, I know sometimes it sucks to be the single one and everyone is like "Why don't you have a boyfriend?" But seriously, there is nothing wrong with being single. I'd be single than be with the wrong person. I think we should all have an ideal person in mind, and spend some time; to see if we can meet someone of our ideal. It's always nice to daydream about an idea. Take this time to discover and develop yourself These days, people all list what they want in others. THINK: If this person of all your wants come along; WOULD THEY CHOOSE YOU? If the answer is no, then you jolly well become the person your ideal would want. (well, I'm thinking the standard you set for your ideal should be the standard you set for yourself as well?) 4) DON''T SETTLE Don't tell me "We accept the love we think we deserve." EVERYONE deserves someone who wants to be with us as well. Don't ever sell yourself short because you are a beautiful person. You should not be judged by your pasts. You should be loved because you are you. To avoid settling, you need to love yourself first. Know your worth, know what you deserve. Find someone who's really sincere, who would stick it through, who would put down their ego for you. Don't give yourself away too easily. I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE I AM A LOVE GURU Just sharing my thoughts (: If you have any relationship problems and you need a ear, chat me up! my Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/AmandaYong or you can drop me an email as welll! (; People dismiss me as young or dreamy, but I would like to consider myself hopeful. I'm back, to talk about foodddddd (& shopping hehehe)! On Boxing day, my sissy and I went out to shop the Boxing day Sales! I spent quite a bit, 4 tops! "Chase" crop top from Zara for $25.90; thought it'll look cute paired with leather shorts (to match the leather-ish lettering) White baseball patterned crop top from Forever 21 for $11 only, can you believe it? Perf for casual days. Maroon red suede top from The Editor's Market, colour looks purple because of lighting. (Reserving this for CNY) Black cut-in peplum top from TEM as well, absolutely loveee the cutting. First time purchasing from TEM as previous trips have always been disappointing upon trying the clothes on. On a side note, I really need more bottoms. HAHAH For our brunch/lunch, my sister and I made use of the Shih Lin vouchers I won from The Urbanwire, which is an entertainment and lifestyle E-zine started by NP FMS students since 2002, yay Ngee Ann Pride! (Ps. The Urbanwire has tons of contests all the time, so like them on FB by clicking the link above and YOU could get lucky^^ I love to join contests, because the thrill of winning something without expecting myself to, is really satisfying. Makes me really happy that I was so fortunate. (Call me auntie, I don't care hahhaah at least I'm a happy one.) Besides, who doesn't like freebies?? One day, I stumbled upon this while scrolling through FB. The natural reaction/instinct of me (a big glutton) was to JOIN THE CONTEST. All I had to do was: 1. FOLLOW @theurbanwire on Twitter https://twitter.com/theurbanwire 2. LIKE this photo 3. SHARE this photo 4. LIKE The UrbanWire's page Then, I had to pick my FAVOURITE SHIHLIN SNACK and leave my EMAIL in the comment section below. SIMPLE! & I stood a chance of winning: 1 x Crispy Salt Pepper Mushroom 1 x Sweet Plum Potato Fries 1 x XXL Crispy Chicken 1 x Handmade Oyster Mee Sua 1 x Seafood Tempura 1 x Crispy Floss Egg Crepe 1 x Limited Edition Pencil Umbrella That's essentially going to Shih Lin and saying "Give me one of everything." On 15th Nov, I was pleased to receive an email from The Urban Wire, with the good news that I have won myself a set of vouchers, HURRAY! (I noted that the person writing the email shared the same surname as me, maybe that's why I won kekekeke) I am very thankful that my sister helped to collect the vouchers from WOM's office, if not they would have been voided. :/ Hence, I was pleased to share the vouchers with her. I had used the XXL crispy chicken one without her, but it saved my life as I was starving while working my weekend job on one of the weekends, We ordered one Crispy Salt Pepper Mushroom, one Sweet Plum Potato Fries and one Crispy Floss Egg Crepe. It proved too much for both of us but I really enjoyed the mushrooms. They were crispy and made a great snack. My sister on the other hand, prefered the crepe as it was the least oily out of the three. WAS SUPER FULL AND COULDN'T EVEN FINISH. ONE THING I MUST BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, is that Shih lin cooks/prepares the food upon order and hence would require you to wait. (for a substantial amount of time) If you are in a rush, I highly advise you not to purchase from them (: Cheers to more good food this year in 2014!
Glutton Amanda is back with another food writeup! This time, I'm featuring A Noodle Story! I stumbled upon it's humble store while looking for lunch at Amoy Food Centre (which is a place where many working adults in the CBD area frequent, Amoy is teeming with good eats honestly). Its display attracted me, as it was starkly different from the other traditional hawker stalls. What's so special?As someone who places a lot of emphasis on food, I look forward to my meals all the time. I hate to be disappointed by food. Esp when I'm looking forward to eating a dish and it turns out really bad, my mood gets really super ruined and I'll try to make up for it with a drink or dessert. A Noodle Story is here to save the day, by offering a genius fusion of Asian food using English techniques to come up with a Singaporean-styled Ramen! (I love when people challenge the "impossible" and refuse to force themselves to choose/settle but rather find a way to achieve the best of both worlds - BUT NOTE THAT THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO RELATIONSHIPS, NO CHEATING UH GUYS) GOING BACK TO NOODLES, I bet you're going like Hehehe, let me show you Looks good right!! Got this bowl of goodness for $5.50, which is a 'small' bowl. (They offer it in medium and big portions too) Let's look at the breakdown of the items in the bowl, (as well as their promises to you) note that the prices have thus increased by $0.50 due to higher rental and ingredients costs. NEVERTHELESS, very worth your money as a bowl of Japanese Ramen can easily cost you $13 or more. Going in a clockwise manner, 1) The egg is really the softest egg I have ever eaten. Know that I normally don't eat these ramen eggs because I don't quite like them but this is so soft it's like some sort of beancurd looking egg. 2) The cha-su is REALLY SUPER TENDER (They lived up to their promise, *weeps*) 3) I must say the prawn is very innovative. If you STARE at my second picture above, there is even a soft paste filling encapsulating the prawn. 4) PRAWN FILLED wantons, not low-grade minced meat but PRAWNNNN. 5) nothing much to say about scallions? Just garnishing hahah 6) The noodles look like a thinner anorexic verson of our wanton mee but springgy QQ. Figured that you might have thought my photos suck, sorry pardon me cause I'm using a really sucky spare phone now. Thus, I've attached their photos for your viewing: Cheerios!
Bad news for you guys on New Year's day, how much meaner can I get hahhaha. But the biggest bitch is not me, its my phone. I'm using an S2 and it decided to die on me by loosening the charger port such that I can't charge my phone. :/ I've sent it for repair even tho the warranty is up. Wonder how much it will cost me. So yeah, I needa rearrange and collate pics that I took from Chiangmai through the family cam and sis phone, before I can update you guys. Meanwhile, HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you and all your loved ones be in the pink of health, always in abundance and filled with happiness^^ How did you celebrate NYE? I got invited to a hotel party teehee. First time countdown outside! Although I only knew like 3 people AT FIRST, it's always nice to get to know and be with fun and nice people. (But at first I was like, why am I celebrating with people who don't matter? Then I realised, no one treats me like I matter enough to ask me out to celebrate with them anyway, and Aaroson was kind enough to extend the offer so WHY NOT?) It was a reallllly small room at Traders' Hotel but we made do. Drank and played games, laughed a lot and everyone was shouting and high BUT YAY FUNN! Cheers to a good year ahead! Found a really good link with meaningful New Year resolutions, check the whole list here. I'm just gonna highlight some and add some personal perspectives. 1. Don’t neglect yourself. You are the one person you can neither leave nor escape, so invest in your relationship with yourself. Take yourself out for coffee, sit yourself down and get to know yourself. This has got to be the number 1 on my list, and it should be on yours too! Many a times, we focus too much on other people that we forget our own needs. I struggle with this a lot, and too much, I take on others' problems as mine. I fight hard to build and mend and maintain relationships with people, but barely have time for myself, always envisioning how my me time would be like, but never fulfilling. Personal time alone is important. If we don't know ourselves, how can we live our life? How do we treat others, or know how to react to life circumstances? Our decisions are based largely on our experiences, what we know and our emotions. Getting to know ourselves would make us feel less lost and realise that life can be simple. 2. Stop being so mean to yourself. We say some terrible things to ourselves we would never say to others. Learn to be kind to yourself. slut. whore. useless. stupid. dumb. bitch. These are just some of the things I've heard myself say to myself. We are all, no doubt, our worst critic. Words have power, words kill. The things that you say to yourself, you grow to believe. You hold on to them like a sutra, you short change yourself, you feel undeserving. But darling, you should know better than anyone else; that we all hurt, we've made mistakes, we bent and almost broke. Instead of harping on all the negativity, on things that we cannot change, look forward. REMEMBER, THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND YOU. NOT EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT. You are beautiful, and by that I mean that you are human. A breathing bleeding hurting fragile yet strong human being, 3. Leave the country or go somewhere you’ve never been before. If you don’t have money, look into doing charity work abroad, some programs will sponsor you, otherwise you would be surprised where you can get with a bus ticket. I think I can link this back to my blog title: Adventures for the weakhearted Most of the time when we hear the word "Adventure", we think of something bold, difficult to accomplish, for the brave only to attempt. I won't say my life is that exciting and I'm not all that courageous, but I'd like to have my own good time with life too, I think it's important to live, not just exist. Going overseas always gives new perspectives, makes you feel new things, meet new people. You also feel accomplished, ticking other country off the globe or list of must-visit places. A lot of times, you discover new things about yourself too and get some time to reflect on your life. I just came back from Chiangmai so the feelings and memories are still fresh from the oven. The trip brought the family closer, and allowed me to meetup with my Chiangmai family again. It's the most amazing, to have friends in a different country. You just feel warm and fuzzy inside, to meet people you thought you'd nvr see again. To address the second part, I totally agree with just hopping on a random bus and see where it takes you to. Just wander and go on a lil adventure. Check out a cafe you nvr knew existed, sit at a park that isn't in your neighbourhood. Trust me, it feels more than good. 7. Cut bad people out of your life. These are the people that are always taking from you, whether emotionally or physically. You deserve reciprocity. You need to surround yourself with people that make you feel awesome, so you can be awesome. Every person around you is someone that you chose to keep around in your life, and it will always be your decision to keep them away. Letting go is difficult, but you can always find people that lift you up. Don't whine. I know this is difficult, trust me, I've been here/there more than a couple of times. But this is essential. Necessary. Of utmost importance because it goes back to Number 1. Think of yourself first. Why keep those who are always hurting you around? They aren't helping you grow, they are pulling you down. Know what you deserve. You deserve the best, you deserve what you need. You'd find that letting the wrong ones go, frees a space for the right people to come in and make your life so much better than before. Set yourself free. Hahah, okay.
Enough philosophy for the night, Going back to work tmr, (holding my sigh in) My resolution: To apply lessons learnt in 2013 to 2014 and make 2014 the best year yet. |
Amanda YongLifestyle blogger from SG. Archives
January 2018
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