UPDATED
It
was yet another mixed year. Positives and negatives, happiness and sadness,
life and death, new places discovered and old places revisited... I spent even
less time on FB and more time reading (or trying to).
Alhamdulillah,
I managed to do the following trips, locally and abroad, long and short, as
follows:
January:
Finally landed in the land of
Pharaohs, gazed upon and entered into the pyramids! Experienced night train
ride to Aswan and then cruised down the Nile River to Luxor. Visited various
temples too and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. I should have visited this country
sooner but hey better late than never, right
February:
Returned from Egypt; spent CNY weekend in Bandung and Jakarta – brought my
niece to Trans Studio Bandung
March:
Flew to JB and explored Legoland
April:
Flew to UK and Ireland and explored Galway, the rugged beautiful landscape of
Connemara and the windy and insanely beautiful Cliffs of Moher
May:
Europe: visited the crazy city of Naples and then explored Herculaneum and
Pompeii, had fun at the Amalfi Coast and revisited Budapest
June:
Train trip to Singapore during the haze
July:
Went to watch Arsenal in Jakarta
August:
Day trip to Ipoh
September:
Spent Malaysia Day weekend in Guilin. Joined a package tour and had a great
time (didn’t expect that to be honest)
October:
A short break in Penang, discovered a charming boutique hotel
November:
Spent Maal Hijrah scaling Mount Bromo before travelling to Malang and Surabaya;
another short break in Penang
December:
Day trip to Muar (had fun despite it being a hot day and I got stung). Planned
on another destination for my end-of-year getaway but it didn’t materialise and
finally bought air ticket to Nepal. Visited Pokhara and Chitwan National Park
before returning to Kathmandu. So I visited both Naples and Nepal in 2013 heh
(OK, bad joke, I know)
I
set a target of 100 books but was 3 books short of my target ;( Didn’t manage
to watch many movies, mainly because some releases were crap anyway and also
because sometimes I just missed them (either from not realising they were
already at the theatres until their screening had been withdrawn).
We
saw Arsenal overcame the negative spiral and huffed and puffed into the fourth
spot. We signed Ozil on the last transfer day and after the initial struggle,
we are now top of the league!
My
resolutions? A healthy lifestyle and taking care of my respective relationships
(to my family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and of course, God), rein in
my temper and to continue to explore the world and push myself out of my
comfort zone. I’m not one to go caving, mountain
rock-climbing, mountaineering, white water rafting, sailing, abseiling, parachuting,
running in marathons (I had done walkathons before), not because I can’t or
fear to but because for now those activities just don’t interest me. I don’t have them
in my bucket list, they are just not on my list of things to do. Oh I know I
can do them if I want to (I’m not scoffing or bragging but I don’t think I’m
that hopeless and not to be able to attempt them should I want to), after all I
had jungle trekked a few times and entered walkathons before and I know I can
push myself to do more but I’m just not into them. But never say never. I just
wish those outdoor people who do all those things won’t look down on us who
just don’t have interest in those things. My interests lie elsewhere; I prefer
exploring old cities and ruins, experiencing culture and appreciating other
heritages.
The
year and the road ahead will be more challenging than before, what with
exercising financial discipline and being prudent but yeah, shit happens and
shit is what is happening now. All we can do is never give up hope, fight on,
prepare for the worse but hope for the best. Fasten our seatbelts and let’s try
to enjoy the ride!
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