2012... what a year you have been

Ok, I actually typed most of this in January.. it's already end of March now.... just took me awhile to make it all nice and pretty....

2012... what a year you have been to me

You went by too quickly. I don't know whether to be sad or excited now that you are gone. Very hesitant to you let you go, but at the same time, I am looking forward to the many things in 2013.

Career
I didn't do too well here. Still in the same job. So many people at work have left. Mainly because the management isn't treating us well. Taking us for granted and not paying us well.

Did not attend as many courses as I wanted to. Only did a plastering course which at the end, I found wasn't too useful in my area since we hardly do plastering. Only on the odd occasions. Not frequent enough to practice.

Attended a few webinars online but did not consolidate much. Just did it for the sake of logging in those hours. Somehow I just wasn't interested. Left things aside to consolidate later but it did not happen.

Did not read any journals at all like I have planned. And only made ONE presentation at work. Reading through my 2012 New Year post, looks like I really didn't progress much in terms of my career.

Hoping 2013 will be different. Did some reflecting at the start of 2013 before writing this post up. Have signed up for a dry needling course. Hoping to be able to use it at work. Cost me a bomb so I really need to make it worth my money.

Will really need to make my professional development one of my priorities this year if I want to get a different job. It's one of the main things why I struggle to re-write my CV. I have nothing much to write about. Didn't have any achievements whatsoever. So yea... gonna try to make a change this year!

If I can stick to a training regime for a marathon, I am positive I can be disciplined enough to make a change in my career.

Fitness
Did well in this. Reading through the minor posts I had for this year, the majority are about my runs. Might have actually neglected other aspects of my life because of this.

1. Did a PB in my half marathon, however not very convincing
2. Ran 10km with a sub 50 (48 min 32 s). Couldn't believe I actually did it!!
3. Completed a full marathon - sacrificed quite a bit for this. Didn't want to go out much on the weekends simply because I need to run the next day. Stayed away from alcohol for 10 months and KFC for 6 months in the attempt of trying to stay healthy. Everything I do was based on my training regime. I am so happy to have completed this. The preparation journey itself have taught me quite a bit. I have came to realize that if I really want something, I can achieve it as long as I put my head and time into it. On top of that, I have raised NZ 1726 for the Heart Foundation. Thanks all!

4. Did my very first trail run in Australia. And it wasn't a short run either- 25km. Suffered from massive blisters but got hooked into it and did another trail run in the later part of the year up in the Blue Mountain at Wentworth Falls.
5. Continued dragonboat and even bought a AUD200 Trivium paddle!!! Raced in Darling Harbour during the CNY festival.
6. Tried wakeboarding for the first time, went surfing another time, and participated in another mud run/obstacle race called Raw Challenge.

What's there to look forward to in 2013? Will be taking a break from full marathon. May consider another one next year. For now I want to work on my speed and I need to spend more time in other aspects of my life. But who knows? I might not be able to resist the temptation and start training again just because I can't help myself.

Family
Went back to Malaysia and Singapore to celebrate grandma's 85th birthday. Grandma's birthday was massive, it was so good to have everyone gathering together. Better than chinese new year! Cousins from all over the world flew back just for that one night for grandma.

Main reason why I decided to fly back was actually for mum's birthday. Have not celebrated mum's birthday with her for quite a few years. It was so great to be able to celebrate it with her this time :)

Also, had our annual family trip. This time, it's to Thailand again but to a more untouched island - Koh Lipe aka Maldives of Thailand. Very nice place but getting there was a hassle. I reckon' it's worth the trip for a quite relaxing holiday. Great time with the parents, brother and aunt. As we are now all over the world, I'm really glad we all make it a point to spend time together at least once a year. It's moments like these that are so rare these days.

And to add to the list, my beloved cousin sister got engaged and then got married this year!!! Super happy for her... and I got to be the maid of honour... another first for me!!

And to more good news... the bro proposed this year!!! 2013 is gonna be so awesome as I'm gonna get myself a sister-in-law!!!

Social life
Despite me being anti-social in terms of being alcohol free... I'd say my social aspect of life isn't too bad this year. Got to know the dragonboat team better and made new friends.

I could say my weekends were less boring than before but I still enjoy the ME-time weekends where I just lie on the couch and do nothing. It was very rare as I'm usually out and about running. Had friends who went running with me and inspired me. When I am in my 30s and 40s, I want to still be able to run like them. Still so fit despite their age... I have no excuse to say I'm getting old and can't run anymore. haha!!

Met up with the wise ones when I went to Singapore in March. Was a great catchup. It's so long ago so I can't remember what we talked about but it's always good to meet up with the wise. Makes me feel wiser :p

Went back to Auckland twice this year too. One in March for a birthday surprise for the significant other, and one in October, for the full marathon. Auckland to me, is somehow still HOME to me despite being away from it for 4 years. Yes, it's been 4 years already, can you believe it? There's always this warm, welcoming feeling when I head back to Auckland. Used to have that when I went back to Malaysia last time but not anymore.

On a side note, I have never driven so long in my life before. Not sure where should I put this section but perhaps under social. Did the longest drive this year to Young which took about 4 hours. Plucked cherries and strawberries and drove back to Sydney which is another 8 hours on the SAME day. I'd say it's a rather big accomplishment, don't you think? 8 hours driving in a day... travelling over 800km....Woop woop!

Relationship
This has definitely been another roller coaster ride this year. There were so many points where I doubt our relationship. There were moments where it was at the tip of an iceberg. This long distance thing is not getting any easier. I really appreciate what he have done and how much he have sacrificed for me. But realistically, how long more? I fear that even if we do get together finally, can we even handle it? We are so used to living apart... maybe we won't even get used to living together. It's always all these doubts that comes to my mind, especially when we are apart.

But... when we meet again, even just for a few days, that feeling we call "love" just puts the doubts away. All the frustration, anger, doubts... it all just disappears and that warm, fuzzy feeling just comes back. It's weird. Maybe it's normal for it to be weird? Life, huh?

What will 2013 bring? I'm sorry to my readers (if i do still have any) but I really cannot tell you. Will leave it as it is right now and really just go with the flow and see where it leads us. Eventually, we need to really TALK about this and really find out which page we are on and if we are on the same page.

At the start of 2012, I made a list... a list of things to do. I never made them. I made it for the very first time... so now let's see how I have faired...

The must-do's:
Get a car - Checked. Got a Toyota Prius in May for $15,800 but mum and dad helped me forked out $4800 :) Pretty stoked with this. I have named in Pickles! Thanks papa and mummy for spending the time to hunt for this car and get a pretty good deal. Loving it and everyone thinks it's brand new! hahahahaha! 
Complete a full marathon - Checked!!! :)
Attend courses for professional development - Half checked. Attended a plastering course. 
Present at least 1 in-service at work - Checked. Would have liked to do more. 
Pay rent - Checked!!! Can't say I'm liking it. Managed to convince my cousin once to let me pay the Strata fees. And ever since she moved out in October, I've been paying the Strata fees and all the bills. Savings have definitely gone down. Need to do more Saturday work!

The Maybe's:
Do a snowboarding trip - either to Melbourne or go back to NZ - Not accomplished.
Meet the monkey in Gold Coast and do the full marathon together - Not accomplished. Did the full marathon in Auckland instead. 
Get a weekend job - Not accomplished. 
Do a PB in a half marathon or a 10km run - Ohh yeaa!! Checked :)
Make a trip to Adelaide to visit Shaleeni - Not accomplished. 
Dive - Not accomplished. 

Looks like I've done not too bad. Though I wished I done more. I'm so satisfied with my sporting accomplishments this year. But other than that, I'd say I'm a wee bit disappointed on the others. 

Somehow, I really do not know what 2013 is going to be like. I really want to do well as a physiotherapist, I really want to improve my skills but that laziness is still lingering. Other than that, I don't really know what I want to accomplish. Well, actually, I just have to make sure I bungy jump and skydive either this year in 2013 or early 2014 whilst I'm still 25 :p

As for doing new things, making it count, reaching new heights... I don't really have anything in mind for 2013. So let's just play it by ear and see how things fair, eh?

I can't promise to blog more this year but will definitely take more photos so I can have a better recap of the year.

Famous last words for this post? Don't really have one this time. I think it's because it's March now and I'm trying to get this posted as I do not wish to delay it anymore. And hence, I'm going to just re-post my famous last words from last year...

Don't be afraid to make plans, don't be afraid to dream, don't be afraid to aim high. Sometimes, you gotta live on the edge. Make plans and do, do your best in everything you pursue in. If you fail, smile. Because you did the best you could. 

Love, unconditionally, like there's no tomorrow. 

Happy New Year to all! I hope you guys a have wonderful 2013!!!