It feels like the older one gets, the faster time seems to pass. I haven’t written much this year and I put it down to laziness. At times I don’t know if it’s worth carrying on with this blog. I mean, who even reads blogs in the age of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat etc. I should probably call myself dimsumauntie now, considering the fact that I’m now in my 40s!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, I guess I’ll just keep my blog running. It’d be a pity to kill it off after all these years. As I’ll be going away to the mountains southwest of Sydney to spend New Year’s Eve, I decided to write my review before heading off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
February<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spent nine days in Tasmania, with six days of hiking along the Overland Trek. It was my first time in Tasmania and it the hike definitely tested my mental and physical endurance. It rained four out of six days on the trek and that really made me miserable. But it was an experience that helped built mental strength and I was fortunate to have shared the experience with a group of seven strong women. At least we got to take the tourist shot of Cradle Mountain on the first day before the skies opened and the rain pelted down on us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n March<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Returned to Singapore for three weeks in March to catch up with family and friends. Even managed to catch an old friend who happened to be visiting from the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Led my first walk with the bushwalking group I joined! I decided to start leading some easy walks as a way of giving back to the club. A club only exists if there are activities for members to join so I thought it’s time for me to do my part. Being a walk leader requires a lot of planning and equips a walker with different skills as you need to be aware of weather conditions, track conditions and be aware of where there might be early exit points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Decided to register for the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1 exam. That essentially meant I had to spend the rest of the year studying for the exam that was held on 7 December. It meant getting early to the office to study and spending weekends studying. A real commitment due to the sheer volume of material to get through! <\/p>\n\n\n\n August<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sprained my left ankle badly while out bushwalking, which meant no bushwalking for about six weeks. This is what happens when the body gets older!<\/p>\n\n\n\n September<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spent about five days in Millgrove, a country town about 100km east of Melbourne for a forest therapy guide workshop. During the five-day workshop, I learnt how forest therapy (shinrin-yoku) sessions were conducted and how it might help with emotional and mental well-being. Perhaps something I could explore more of in future!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flew back to Singapore on 29 September!<\/p>\n\n\n\n October<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spent a week in Sri Lanka with my mum. It was an interesting experience as we got to go on an elephant safari! Loved that. I was supposed to go to Hong Kong for nine days but decided against it in view of all the protests in Hong Kong. It’s so sad to Hong Kong like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This trip home, I revisited Pulau Ubin with my aunt, after not having been back in ages. I also went to the newly opened Thomson Nature Park and saw the old village ruins of homes that used to be inhabited by Hakka immigrants. A fascinating piece of Singapore history indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was nice catching up with family and friends and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to say goodbye to Singapore at the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n November<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in Sydney, but not before I spent my birthday in Singapore. I decided I didn’t want to spend my birthday in Sydney as it was depressing not having any friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Attended U2’s Joshua Tree concert on Nov 23!!! That’s something checked off my bucket list – I’ve always wanted to see them live in concert and they certainly didn’t disappoint! <\/p>\n\n\n\n December<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Took CFA Level 1 exam on 7 December – geez, such a mentally exhausting exam, what with having to take two 3-hour papers. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. After the afternoon paper finished at 5pm my brain was completely spent. Crossing my fingers – I hope I pass!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I think 2019 was an ok year. Nothing particularly exciting and nothing particularly bad either. Hoping 2020 will bring more fun, love and adventures!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It feels like the older one gets, the faster time seems to pass. I haven’t written much this year and I put it down to laziness. At times I don’t know if it’s worth carrying on with this blog. I … Continue reading