It's me. Hi!
Super late post, what's new 😅 This was meant to be a post in December. In fact, I actually started outlining in November. But here we are, at the end of Q1 with an end-of-year/new-year post.
2022 was quite a ride, especially the second half!
We finally started going to the office after more than 2 years of full WFH arrangements. Had to wake up a bit earlier, but it's a welcome change for me. Some much-needed interaction was finally set into motion. The first few days were a bit awkward because we had to match names with faces I'd never seen IRL before. But after that, it was a blast! There is something with chatting and joking around with colleagues while working. Time flew by faster and work became a tad bit more fun :)
And with the border opening up and the issue from last year still far from being resolved, I got the opportunity to go on a business trip! To India, a country I've only seen through Bollywood movies in my childhood. Flabbergasted was the most accurate word to describe my feelings when I was informed that I was picked to go. Out of all the people in my team, why me? (And also why is it that they told me right on the day my new passport was issued? 😬) There were others who were more soft-spoken and had a good grasp of technical knowledge. Nonetheless, it was a great experience. Flew business class for the first time, experienced the chaotic Indian traffic, and most importantly met the people behind my headache who have been working alongside us. Will I ever go there again? Maybe not, unless for another work trip. But it was definitely interesting.
An extension of the business trip was my first trip to Mt. Bromo! After pretty much living my whole life staying only around 2-3 hours from Bromo, I finally went there because one of our Indian colleagues wanted to go. Going there almost felt like a dream that never happened. 5 people in a car, one of the most unlikely combinations ever, driving into the night so we can reach Bromo before sunrise. The cold was not so much of a challenge, in fact, I felt like sleepiness was the hardest demon to fight - knocked my head to the car window quite a few times because I was too weak :') Took many photos, walked many steps, and most importantly had lots of fun together despite the unlikely combination :) One unexpected thing was that my whole body ached pretty much for the next week. Didn't know one day trip can do that much damage (maybe lifestyle was just too sedentary 😅)
It didn't stop there! Since COVID restrictions were becoming lighter, the company decided that outings/conferences were also okay too. With that, I also had my first train ride to Jogjakarta with a huge group from the office. Didn't know why, but my introverted soul decided to fully take over during that time. As we were randomly assigned in groups, I ended up in a group full of strangers and ended up not speaking much (oops). After the event ends tho, a few colleagues and I stayed one more day in Jogja to do our own thing. That's when the real fun began! The highlight was definitely the good food and the pottery class we went to. Would definitely come back to Jogja for the food and hopefully more time to look around the temples!
Actually, just a week before the Jogja trip I also went on a trip to Singapore. The official mission was to help my brother repatriate his things as he was graduating + sending items to my cousin who just moved there. The unofficial mission was to catch up with friends I have not seen in years! It felt good to finally see them irl after years of just looking through Instagram. So much hot tea to share! On a more serious note, catch-ups like this (even ones that happened in le hometown) were bittersweet - the waits span months if not years, and the meeting was only so short. Nevertheless, grateful for the chance to visit, meet up and recharge. And again, special thanks to the friend who so willingly became my itinerary planner and host for the week 😘
To end the year, I had my first somewhat more extensive medical check-up. The overall result was, fortunately, good. But, boy oh boy, my cholesterol levels need some help. Which is a reminder that I have to be more mindful of what I eat now.
So all in all, how was 2022? Was it better than 2021? I'd say yes! The much-needed human interaction boosted my mood a lot.
How about work dilemmas? Not entirely better, but it's just that I'm now at the phase of acceptance so I can proudly say I rarely do overtime work now 🎉 Did I fulfil my goal last year? Yes, but not really. I did become somewhat more active, my step count in 2022 is wayyyyy better than in 2021 but I still cannot reach my high-school level of fitness (which looking back was not that good either 😅)
Then how about 2023? With my MCU results, I am hoping for a healthier year. Be it with eating habits and exercise. As for work, I am hoping to gain the courage to make important decisions when the time comes (deciding to study again or maybe change work). And last but not least, I may have to do something about my singleness 😅 One or two thing happened at the start of the year, and that prompted me to think about it. Downloaded a dating app, but still have no courage to actually sign-up. I also feel like it's not fair for any party if I start things just to tick checkboxes. So, let's see how ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
To end the post, I'm including these 2 songs, because I feel like they somehow represent my feelings when catching up with friends 😗
Alrighty then, see you when I see you :)
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