Sick day

It’s only the second month in 2018 and I’m sick. Sore throat, cough and flu. I’m suspecting it’s due to the CNY goodies (Which I did not even eat much of). Anyway, this time it wasn’t much of a big deal and I am still able to work. Just that I really doesn’t like having sore throat as it is usually extremely difficult to recover from. 

Well, I've been playing a new game 'Cooking Dash' and I'm totally glued to it. It looks totally like a girl's game, but it's really addictive. I just hope I won't been spending too much time and money on it.

My comfort food, especially when I'm sick

Cooking Dash! 

First holiday break in 2018 + CNY

“At the end of the day, you’ll just have to follow your heart” - Carolyn Tan (DBS Sparks)

So, I'm back from my holiday trip. For various different reasons, I try not to blog during my holiday. And by the time I know it, Chinese New Year had also past and workday starts tomorrow (Totally not looking forward to it).

Alittle bit on my holiday. I went on a 8D7N Royal Carribean Cruise to Vietnam and Thailand. It was my first time onboard Royal Carribean and I had so much fun! Service was great, food was fantastic, not a single boring moment over the 8 days. I especially enjoyed the moments when I chill at the balcony of my room, looking at the ocean. I will probably find some time to write a travel blog on the trip.

Chinese New Year is a time when we share some bonding time with our family. This year is special as we welcome a new member to the family - my new born niece!

Sunset view from my room

Start of Feb 2018

"Meditation can be defined as a practice where an individual focuses his or her mind on a particular object, thought or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. Meditation may be used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain."

Sound like something anyone can find useful of. I have always wanted to try meditation and 2018 would be the year for me to finally put my mind to focus in it. Done some research and the Headspace app seems like a good place to start. Definitely will be investing more time in this.

In a flash, Jan 2018 is over. The past month, I have,

• Cleared my REALLY messy study room and finally converted it back to a proper workspace
• Start meditation
• Made some progress at work (Although workload are still as crazy as ever)

February this year is a short work month for me. My company will have a 4 days shutdown and immediately 2 days of Chinese New Year public holiday. I have made travel plans in both Feb and Mar, which will make these 2 months really interesting. 

My new home cinema sofa setup

1st Aider upgrading

"Fitness is not about being better than someone else... It's about being better than you used to be." - Khloe Kardashian

It has been extremely cold in Singapore over the past week. Temperature dip below 22 degrees and it was raining for probably the whole week. As far as I can remember, Singapore has never been this cold (Although statistically, the coldest temperature recorded in Singapore is 19 degree in 1989). I can guess most of us would be happy to experience 'winter' in Singapore.

There are 52 weeks in a year. This year, one of my resolutions is to be certified in at least 2 professional courses. I will be targeting to devote at least one day (8 hours) per week for self-development!

Went for my 1st Aid refresh course over the weekend. I made up my mind to spend more time helping the society about 2 years ago and volunteered as a grassroot leader in the C2E community. As part of the requirement for me volunteering as a 1st Aider, I need to maintain my certification status which expires every 2 years. On top of this, I am also certified in psychology 1st aid and AED. Every time I attend such first aider course, I always learn something new. And I am always impressed by how professional and experience the instructor is.

Raining with souvenirs

"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it." - Seneca

December has always been a month when people go for holiday. And when people go holiday, it means they will be buying souvenirs. This year is probably the first time I receive these many souvenirs. No matter how small the souvenir may be, it is an extremely happy feeling to know that they made it a point to get you something.

switzerland Chocolates from Mark Soo

Taiwan Pineapple Pastry from Jacky

Taiwan Nougat from Jacky

Hokkaido sweets from Sunny

Hiroshima Chocolate and key chain from Au Yeong

The child in me

"The secret to happiness is finding something that you love to do, and doing that for the rest of your life." - Casey Neistat

I did not come from a wealthy family. When I was a kid, my dad worked hard to provide the family with everything that we need, but we didn't have the luxury of spending too much on toys for me. I do not know if my childhood indirectly influenced me. But even at an age of 30+, one of my hobbies is to collect toy figurines. Today, I received a piece of 'Transformers' toy which I had ordered some time back. A really beautiful piece. #happyforthelittlethingsinlife

On the left, is the new toy I received. On the right, is the 1st generation of the same toy released 25 years ago! How technology has impacted evolution in toys over these 25 years.

1st weekend/1st post 2018

[Nostalgia:- "wistfulness, longing/yearning/pining for the past, regret, regretfulness, reminiscence, remembrance, recollection, homesickness, sentimentality".]

Today's the first weekend of 2018 and I woke up really earlier (6am). Right now, I'm chilling and spending some 'me' time in a really empty Starbucks. I don't really enjoy spending time alone, although I do have a million things I want to get done. Things at work are still as exciting as ever; every week seems like a complete different week (#lifeofaProjectManager). Looking at my schedule for 2018, I have quite alot of activities planned out and will be kept busy at least for the 1st half of the year.

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

“I wanna be the kind of hero that wipes away everyone’s worries, always wins, and saves everyone!” - Deku

If I were to use one word to sum up 2017, it would probably be 'Busy'; (2nd word would be ‘Injury’). Many things had happened and 2017 had been a busy year. A recap of what happened in 2017.

1. I have traveled quite a bit in 2017. (Taiwan, America, Shanghai, Bintan, Bangkok, Maldives and Malaysia
2. In 2016, I uploaded my first youtube video. In 2017, I uploaded 10 videos, reached 12, 000+ views, and became a youtube partner.
3. Approached by an advertising company and purchased a small part of my youtube video for advertisement!
4. My niece is born and I became an uncle!
5. Passed the exam and became certified in Scum Master.
6. Throughout the whole of 2017, literately from 1st Jan to 31st Dec, the injury on my knee did not improve much.
7. Started my food blog
8. I "walked away"

Status of my goals set in 2017

1. Continue the plan to set up my business - Fail miserably 
2. Pass at least one IT professional certification - Done
3. Excel in my current new job - Work in progress
4. Reducing my weight to 80kg - Another fail (I am definitely blaming this on my knee injury)
5. Deciding my next step in photo/videography - Kinda done

Comparing to what I had achieved in 2016, can’t really say 2017 had been very fulfilling. Somehow, 2016 did seem a lot more eventful.

 2018

So, in 2018, I've come up with another list of resolutions. The list is expected to be a 'work-in-progress' and will be modified according to shift in priorities.

1. Continue the plan to set up my business/long term plan
2. Pass at least one IT professional certification.
3. Reducing my weight to less than 80kg
4. Recover from my knee injury
5. Continuing my youtube channel and blog
6. I need to sleep earlier

In-law's wedding + Xmas!

"It's not bragging if you can back it up." - Muhammad Ali

As if the previous weekend wasn't exciting enough, the past weekend was crazy eventful as well, easily 2 of my most eventful weekends 2017. Travelled to Malaysia (JB) on Friday to attend my sister in-law's wedding. It was a long weekend, making it extra challenging to travel to Malaysia. It was also my first time traveling by train after the station shifted. It was a full day of wedding ceremony, and I had the interesting task of taking charge of taking Polaroid photos for all guest during the wedding dinner.

Train from Singapore to Malaysia

Me fulfilling my duties for the wedding dinner

On Sunday, I celebrated Xmas with a group of friends. We have known each other for more than 25 years, and it is almost customary that we meet up on Xmas eve. As we grow up, everyone has their commitments in life, we are literally meeting up this one time each year, making this all the more special.

More than 25 years of friendship for each of us

My xmas presents this year! Can't remember when was the last time I received so many presents.

I am clearing leave for this week. Counting down to the last 4 days to the end of 2017 and I already have all the activities planned out for the rest of the week.

Starwars + Mayday = Best weekend in 2017?

The past weekend was probably one of my most anticipated weekend of the year. On Friday, I watched the movie, Starwars - the last Jedi. I watched the first trilogy of Starwars movies since I was a small kid and loved it since. Although the 2nd trilogy was really terrible, this 3rd trilogy has been really amazing so far. Now, it is the terribly long wait for the next installment to be out.

Saturday was the Mayday concert! If there is one thing that excites me more than anything, it is the Mayday's concert. They have been coming to Singapore yearly for the past few years and I have been there without fail every single year. I have been listening to their songs for the past 17 years, and in so many ways has been a part of me growing up. 

12.12

Today is the 12th December, and most of the major online stores are having sales. I have never really tried to buy much from online stores but today, I made it a point to look for a good bargain. It was my first time buying something from 'Lazada', and I have to say, it takes alot of work. There's alot of researching, reviewing comments from previous buyers, comparing prices of different sellers, terms and condition of sales, etc etc. So much more work and tiring than I expected, but it was satisfying. Online shopping is probably only good if you already know what you wanted to buy. In the end, I bought a GoPro 6 and microSD card at a very reasonable price. Definitely a 'W' for today's shopping day.

Sunday cafe blogging

It has been a relatively peaceful weekend this week, and I woke you really late, (2pm). Decided to do some blogging today and have my beakfast/lunch/tea together at the same time. What better place to do all at once, but to do it at a cafe. Did a quick count and surprised that I have a backlog of 4 foodblogs I have yet to write. Gonna work on those with whatever time I have today before I meet my adorable niece later this evening.

Major Home Reno

Something which I had been sitting on for awhile. One of the compressor of my home air-conditioner has been spoiled for afew months now, and I have finally completed replacing the whole air-conditioner. This renovation work was way bigger in scale than I original anticipated. It took 2 full days, lots of drilling on the walls and full of dust in the whole house. In total, this set me back by S$4,500. And now, it's time for me to start looking for a painter to paint over the 'wall scars' of this renovation.

Apparently, replacing air conditional is a big renovation work.

This week was also my company's year end party. Compare to previous year, this year was relatively 'simpler' and lots of people not able to join from my department. None-the-less, this was still an enjoyable event where I get to mingle with everyone.

Although simpler than previous year, it was still alot of fun

Had my first Thosai, an Indian pan cake that looks like crepe. The restaurant was not fantastic but my first experience of the Thosai was ok. Would like to give it another try in a better restaurant.

By the looks of it, you probably can't tell if it's Thosai or crepe.

So, another 20 days and it's coming to the end of year 2017. And these last 3 weeks will be a very eventful one. This coming week, I'll be going to a concert by my favorite band, 'Mayday'. Next week, I will be attending the wedding ceremony of my sister-in-law which is held in Malaysia. And with the last day of this year, I can then complete my last youtube movie for this year. This is a new concept which I am exploring and I will be needing the shot on the last day of this year. 

So much to look forward to as I count down to the end of 2017!

Maldives Travel Video!

Finally, I've completed my Maldives trip travel video. My regular work has been intense as usual and with whatever time I have left, finally have it done over the past 2 weeks. With every youtube video made, I learn a little something. This time, it was especially challenging and time-consuming. Partly due to music I've chosen, partly due to the expectation of making a video that is better than the previous one. Do check out the video!

Busy November

Not the best title in the world, but definitely true for me. And I will probably be saying the same for December as well. Just attended my cousin's wedding ceremony over the weekend, and attending a relative's wedding is always a good chance to get together with relatives. Now, I need to find some free time to work on my upcoming travel vlog. This will be my 9th video uploaded on my YouTube channel, and somehow this time I am really having a tough time putting it together. With the way things are progressing, I'll be happy enough if it gets done by December.

Planning for my next YouTube video

10,000 Youtube views!

On 29th July this year, I blogged about me reaching 5,000 views on my youtube channel after 7 months 24 days. On 19th Nov, after another 3 months 26 days later, I reached the milestone of reaching my first 10,000 views! With 10,000 views reached, it entitles me to a some exclusive Youtube creator benefits and I can now start to monetize my videos on Youtube. This milestone was reached much earlier than I expected. Actually, I have reached abit of a low recently on my channel as it has been more than 2 months since my last upload. I have really been busy with so many things. Gonna prioritise this alittle bit now with this new motivation.

Disappearing for 1 whole month

I should and I really do want to post on my blog more often. It has just been a full 1 month since my last blog and I have really been busy mostly with work, travelling, and many other stuffs. So, a recap of my past month:

I went on a 5 day holiday to Maldives! I first went Maldives in 2012, and I have always wanted to go back again since. So many things happened this year and I figured I really want to go back now. I have posted the experience of this trip in my travel journey. Will definitely be working on a travel vlog on this trip soon.

Over the past weekend, went for the annual OCBC Cycle event again. This is the 3rd straight year I am participating, although this year, partly due to my knee injury, I took part the 20 km ride instead of the 40 km. 

Met up with a group of friends from my previous university. All 4 of them, ladies and all married with children. It's been a long while since I met them and the last time we met, I remember none of them have kids. Naturally, the topics revolve mostly on their kids. It was a nice catch-up.

I did a fair bit of shopping over the past month. Bought an office chair, which I intend to use as my new dining table chair. Bought a ridiculously expensive hair dryer from Dyson (and I rarely use a hairdryer), Fitbit health tracer, something which has changed my lifestyle bit. Bought 2 Gundam figurines which, are definitely money well spent.

Backstreets Back Alrite!

Went to the Backstreet Boys concert yesterday. I have never really know the Backstreet Boys. I don't even know the names of their members. I have heard of their songs before, but I didn't really know they were sung by them. To add salt to the wound, this is the most expensive ticket I have ever purchased for a concert as I had missed the official sale date and bought this via Envato marketplace. Well, the reason why I went was really more to accompany 'someone'. Luckily it turned out to be a really enjoyable concert, and even a non-Backstreet Boys fan like myself enjoyed as well. No surprise that most of the fans who turned up were ladies.

Tried the Double Boiled Milk Almond dessert from Honeymoon Dessert store today. The most milky dessert I have ever eaten!

Others don't matter

"In life you have 2 options. You can either do your own things and stand out, or do what everyone does and "fit in"' - Casey Neistat

Casey Neistat is a Youtuber who probably has the most influence on me. He was asked on one of his vlog Q&A, how to surround yourself with the right people. His answer to this question, he doesn't. He just eliminates the bad people. If there is someone he doesn't want in his life, 'Get out'.

This is something that relates to me very much. I have been unconsciously eliminating 'bad people' since the beginning of this year. I really have so much to say about this, but I probably won't be able to express myself well. Long story short, I'm a happier and more focus person without those people in my life.

Burning $ on my 'maintenance'

"Failure is an option, but giving up is not!" - Muniba Mazari

As mentioned in my previous blog, most of my shoppings are incidental. Today is another excellent example of me happily going out for lunch on a casual weekend, not a single intention to buy anything at all, but ended up buying a whole lot of stuff for my 'personal maintenance'. Actually an unplanned shopping is the best kind of shopping IMO. In addition, I have also upgraded my Dropbox plus account, to the new Dropbox Pro. I am a strong believer of using technologies to solve my problems or making my life better. Though in this case, I do feel Dropbox is alittle overpriced...