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| Photo Credits: Mint Exposure |
Now that the year is coming to an end, it's a time to be pensive and reflect on the many events that has happened in my life, before we move on to 2014 (and I turn 29 *groans*).
2013 has been a particularly eventful year for me, with both ups and downs just like how life is... and I would like to recap all of them...
(1) My first trip to East Malaysia in January 2013 to visit clients (existing clients whom I have hounded them incessantly and new ones who were very friendly)! It was an extremely interesting trip as it was my first trip shipyard-hopping in Miri and Sibu amidst my professional attire, and these 2 places were serene and calm, far different from what I have been used to Singapore. That said, the hotel I stayed in my first night was really scary and I couldn't sleep at all. Despite having been on overseas work trips several times in this job and being used to having to sleep alone in a foreign place, it was really unforgettably spooky - I will never step foot into that hotel again *eeps*.
But the view from my hotel was still stunning nonetheless.
2. My last work trip to HK in March 2013 was definitely interesting. I was rushing to pack for the trip and I made a mental note to myself that HK was the same as SG (same time zone, compared to Mumbai) and happily just prepared my media kit and newspapers and slammed the suitcase shut on Sunday for an afternoon flight to HK as I had a client meeting later that evening (yes, that was the only window of opportunity for me to meet said person, who was flying off on Monday so I was pressed for time).
Upon touching down at HK airport, smart me realised that it was darn cold - 14 degrees - and the longest dress I had was knee-length! I forgot about the temperature/climate difference and assumed that HK would be as warm as SG.
Despite the freezing cold, I dropped my luggage to meet the client for coffee in Central, mumbling to myself that I would buy a coat or something after the meeting.
Meeting ended at 9pm and when I reached the hotel (Ibis, Sheungwan - which has cramped rooms), room service had ceased and there was nothing to eat and nothing to buy. GG, Belle.
I scampered to the convenience store below and found *gasps* an array of instant noodles, but more importantly, in my favourite Tonkotsu flavour! :)
This is how I epic-ly ended my first night in HK for March 2013.
The next few mornings were spent visiting my dearest clients at their offices, and I was amazed at the breath taking view of the HK harbour that their premium office locations enjoyed.
Makes work less dreadful, no?
In my hasty taxi ride back to the hotel, I caught a glimpse of ICAC! Too much HK drama, I know.
I can never go hungry with HK's cha can tengs at all corners of the streets! I ate these for dinner, for 3 nights - love how they make the century egg so delightful!
This was my staple breakfast every morning - love their bo luo buns! Simple yet so tasty :)
And as always, I kept in touch with Dan through Facetime and whatsapp (where he sent me drawings)... Even though half the time we were agonising over the (lack of strong) internet connectivity, these small bits of conversations kept me going on. Being away on weeks of work trip alone is really tough, and his drawings keep me sane :)
Absolutely tired face after one week of work trip (830am - 6pm) with almost no breaks - never too tired to camwhore :)
I caught a red eye flight to Shanghai and arrived groggily and grumpily at 7am, extremely upset with the lack of sleep. There was a conference in the early afternoon and my day had just began...
As usual, my belongings were strewn all around the Four Seasons Hotel room and the day just ended very late, with a lot of fun seeing the Shanghai colleagues and the chatter during the opening reception.
That night, I just called the front desk to give me 3 calls with 30 mins intervals for the next morning because I knew I would have overslept.
The next morning, next thing I knew, in my groggy state I heard the phone ring incessantly but I had been so tired that I ignored it (normal for morning calls in the hotel, right?)...
Then I heard the door open - the door was locked and trust me, I am a panicky freak and I would have made sure it was locked -
then I saw a sneaky figure peep at me and run off.
I thought I was still dreaming, until I had to shake myself up as I realised the severity of the situation.
I checked the door - it was really unlocked - which meant that someone had indeed intruded into my room.
I went to the Front Desk and checked and they confirmed they had sent a MALE representative to my room to check on me after my FIRST morning call was unanswered, with no apologies. That was really terrible - I hadn't expected that from them - at least they could have sent a female rep and I wouldn't have died because I didn't pick up the first morning call.
But there was no time to waste as there was so much going on - so I didn't bother making any formal complaint but I took note to double lock my door this time and place a table against the door - just in case.
This also marked my last trip for work in 2013.
4. My fixation with Diablo III was my way to cope with the increasing stress at work - extremely therapeutic and I was always looking forward to checking if I had won gold or USD in the AH or RMAH respectively.
These days, playing Diablo III has become a luxury instead - I try not to stare at the computer anymore after work.
5. My 28th birthday celebration was an almost one week affair (10 - 16 May 2013) and the best I ever had :)
We spent the first half of the day at USS (where I was promised to be brought to) and after blindfolding me and leading me to somewhere that sounded quite quiet, I opened my eyes to a beautiful Awfully Chocolate cake and my dearest friends in front of me :)
Thank you for the beautiful surprise that I will never forget :)
My birthday book to keep
The beautiful villa!
The birthday celebration ended off on my actual birthday where we had nice sake at Five Izakaya Bar at Changi City Point:
Thank you for giving me the best I ever had :)
7. Baking (or in my case, looking at Dan bake) has been lots of fun. I can only lay claim on this Oreo No-Bake cheese cake (because... no bake...) while he has baked tiramisu, brownies, cookies, which are always yummy (even when I do not have a sweet tooth).
8. Terrible haze that caused so much irritation to us but taught us to love and take care of our environment. It was really depressing to see our familiar skylines shrouded in dirty haze.
10. Spraining my left ankle every week was no joke. My ankle has always been a problem - but the sudden burst of clumsiness exacerbated the problem - I went for TCM at 2 clinics voluntarily despite my darkest fear of pain, because I couldn't take the damn sprain every week.
11. My cornea laceration on both eyes brought me the worst time of 2013 - it was terrifying to not be able to see clearly; at one point, I was even having blurry visions.
The specialist told me that my eyes had been abused for too long and while others required just days or weeks to recover, my corneas would require months because I had worn my contact lens for too long for years.
Because I was always too lazy, I wore my contact lens from morning 7am to 1am, thinking that it would be ok.
It's not okay - having the biggest scare of your life with such poor vision with hyper sensitivity to light is no joke at all. The amount of tender care required and the medication needed on my eyes caused me so much upset and regret about not taking care of my eyes.
As I cannot control my working hours, I switched to wearing glasses instead - better ugly than lose my sight.
And I only wear dailies (if I ever do), otherwise Dan will start nagging again.
12. Our healthy lifestyle was a success with running weekly and eating non fried and oily food - we have to push ourselves harder again! It's an amazing feat if you ask me the amount that we ran - but running together really helped motivate me :)
13. Celebrating Dan's 30th birthday marks our 5th year together :)
I found this really cute Durian cake from Durian Empire and surprised Dan with it.
The cake was unfortunately too sweet I feel but it was beautiful nonetheless.
Dan and his favourite boy :)
I also planned a surprise short getaway to Taiwan where we savoured all the snacks we could and this time we stayed at a fantastic hotel at Ximending - it was posh but it did not break my bank, with stylish furnishings and a perfect location.
I honestly wish we have more time to travel, but I know that your work takes up a lot of your time. We will work hard together so that we can go for a longer trip in 2014 :)
Sleeepy,
Belle
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