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Year 2018 in Review: A Year of Challenges and Opportunities

Year 2018 in Review: A Year of Challenges and Opportunities

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I’m always a latecomer to the party, aren’t I? Other people have started their reflections in December, but I still couldn’t make up my mind whether I should write a review post of my life in 2018.

Year 2018 is a real rollercoaster for me. My life went from great, to not so great, to nice, to bad, to amazing, to hell, to fabulous, to nightmare, to great again. I guess that’s how life goes, isn’t it? I almost didn’t want to write this post because I’m afraid if I write about all the hardships that I faced, this blog would turn into a complaint outlet.

At the same time, I want to show that my life is definitely not as picture-perfect as how my blog might portray. I want to paint an honest picture that everybody can relate to. Without further ado, let’s start.

My 2018 in Travel

I had a pretty rough start at the beginning of 2018. My first travel of the year was a trip to Penang to visit my dad who was hospitalised there. My parents were two of the strongest people in my world; it has never occurred to me that one of them would ever be hospitalised. I spent a weekend there, came back to Singapore to work, and went back to Penang again the next weekend. By that time, my dad’s health has improved a lot.

In February, my hubby and I visited both pairs of our parents in Seremban (Malaysia) and Medan (Indonesia). We had a stressful and fun experience flying Malindo Air Business Class from Kuala Lumpur to Medan.

Malindo Air Business Class Review

Flying with Malindo Air Business Class (it’s not that glamorous, really)

Throughout the year, instead of flying around Asia visiting new places, I flew to Penang and Medan to see my parents. In this year alone, I visited Penang 5 times and Medan 4 times to meet my parents. Such a record-breaking number for a girl who loves travelling, but family is the most important thing in my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

In April, I travelled to Johor Bahru to run a half-marathon at the Iskandar Puteri Night Marathon 2018 thanks to an assignment from RunSociety. It was a memorable race, but not in a good way.

In October, I had a virgin cruise experience on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas. I wouldn’t go on a cruise if it wasn’t for my hubby’s company trip. It turned out to be such a great experience. I’m pretty sure I gained a few kilos after the cruise.

Voyager of the Seas - Singapore Penang 4 days 3 nights - arrive penang

On Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas

In November, hubby and I had a long-awaited vacation at Phuket. We had lots of fun at James Bond Island and Phi Phi Island.

James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay Tour from Phuket - james bond island khao phing kan

James Bond Island

Visiting Phi Phi Island from Phuke Without a Tour - sightseeing

Phi Phi Islands

In December, I had a tough time deciding where to spend my birthday at. Every year, I would do all I could to disconnect from life and be away from Singapore. This year, I dug deep into my heart and realised that all I wanted to be on my birthday is my hometown. Even though the ticket was so expensive because it was the holiday season, it was a no-brainer. “I’m going home, ain’t nobody’s stopping me!”

Year 2018 in Review

With my sisters and beautiful Christmas tree and ginger house

My Personal Life

In 2018, a lot has happened in my personal life. Some were good, others were not.

In the career section, I started a job which I thought was a job that truly fits me. Things didn’t work out. I changed to another job in construction line which consumed every energy that I had, 6 days a week. My energy level was literally 0 when I reach home after work. Thus, I neglected many parts of my life (exercise, social, blogging).

The silver lining in my career came when I was transferred to another department in my company where I was required to work only 5 days a week. It made a huge difference in the quality of my life. For that, I’m really thankful to my boss.

In the fitness section, honestly, I failed. I’ve gained weight, I could no longer run 10km without stopping. I didn’t watch my diet. I would really like to put the blame on all of the stress in my life, but I know it’s just an excuse.

In the accommodation section, 2018 was an outlier because I moved 2 times in a single year. It was so tough! It consumed so much of our energy and time looking for a new place, packing, moving, unpacking, cleaning up, arranging stuff, updating address, etc. Many times, I wish I have my own place instead of renting. I really do.

Christmas decoration and lights up in Singapore 2018 - Christmas Wonderland Gardens by the Bay - Santa's Grotto

Meeting Santa at Christmas Wonderland was one of the highlights of my December

My Blogging Journey

Blogging is probably one part of my life that’s mostly positive in 2018. I’ve mentioned in my 3rd Blog Anniversary post that my pageview increased a lot compared to the year before. For the year of 2018, I’m averaging at 22,500 views a month.

There’s another exciting milestone for me. For the first time ever, I earned moolah from this baby. I received a payment from an affiliate company in February 2018. It was SGD 21.7 sent to my PayPal account. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was drowning in joy. If you’ve booked anything through affiliate links from my blog, thank you thank you thank you.

I was glad that I had invested time learning SEO the year before, so most of my posts are optimized. Even though I didn’t write a ton of articles this year (I wrote only 29 posts in a year, about 1 post every 2 weeks), I managed to hit 4 figures income in a year (average 2 figures income a month; it’s a riddle, go figure).

I had a chance to meet a reader-turned-friend towards the end of the year. (Hi H & H if you read this). Making a new friend is a nice bonus from blogging. I’m already planning to visit their country in the future!

Visited dnata lounge because I wanted to write an article about it (#bloggerlife)

My 2019 Wishlist

I failed my 2018 resolutions, so I’m not going to make another resolution for 2019. Instead, I have a couple of wishlists.

I wish to produce more content for this beloved blog of mine. Writing makes me sane. Helping people through writing makes me fulfilled. No target number of post, I just want to write more than last year.

I wish to spend the same amount of time, if not more, with my family and my hubby’s family.

I miss the mountains. So much. I wish I could hike at least once this year.

Lastly, I wish to keep my heads up despite the challenges that life will throw at me. I’m ready for you, 2019!

Phi Phi Viewpoint

2019 will be great! Fingers crossed!

If you like my work, you can buy me a coffee! Your support will help me to keep going!

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