05. December 2024: The happiest I've ever been

Happy new year!

2024 was a weird year, filled with the worst shit as well as the best. I've felt my worst as well as my best.

I started the year continuing my internship in an audit firm, doing mundane things as an intern does. I dreaded waking up and felt like a slave looking forward to the day I am handed a sock. Taking a 2-days break to Batam while on internship was so worth my salary deduction. I was also studying for a professional exam during the night, so that sucked. Good thing is that I passed the exam by 1 mark, which is a win as it was so damn hard.

After the internship era, I was on vacation mode. Went on a cruise to Phuket, went back to my kampong in Malaysia and travelled through Malaysia. When I came back to Singapore, I met up with my closest friends to hit the gym before they went to the army.

Then I started university and met a lot of new people. First semester was a bit challenging, the content was on a whole another level. My revision for the exams was double of my revision in poly. I sucked at essays that I had no interest in, but excelled at topics I loved writing on.

Then, December came and I was in for a ride. My aunt and cousin came to Singapore on the 2nd of December and I finished my exams on the 4th of December. From the 5th of December onwards, I was practically in heaven. We went to my favorite type of restaurants: dining with live music! I sang aloud and danced with my cousin in the restaurant!?!?!? First time I ever did that. The food was great too, I had my first rice-stuffed buffalo wings. Weird but okay. Also had random fusion food that taste weird but okay.

On the 7th, we flew to Penang and took a train to KL the next day. We flew to Hong Kong on the 9th and took a van to Shenzhen. Shenzhen was beautiful, enjoyed the weather and the views were immaculate. We went to Zhuhai, Macau and then back to Hong Kong. Overall, these cities were beautiful, the food was meh in my opinion. [Malaysian food is wayyy better] Also, thankfully my GPA was decent.

Then we flew back to Malaysia and spent another week there, celebrated Christmas and my birthday on the 24th, then came back to Singapore on Christmas day.

I have spared all the details of my Hong Kong/China trip because it was not why I was happy.

Although I spent 2-3 weeks overseas, I realised it wasn't the location that made me happy. It was actually having undisturbed time with my family, especially my cousin who lives so far away that we only see each other every 1-2 years. Never have I felt so loved and happy that I wished time could just pause for me. I wished I could've spent my time like this forever, with people whom I loved so much that I'll give up everything for a chance to spend a second with them. My grandparents are getting older and I am dreading the future where I might not be able to go back to my kampong as much.

I felt so exhilarating when I did TikToks and sang karaoke with my cousin. It was my first time dancing and singing on camera without feeling insecure. Every day of December I was reminded that I was loved and my company was appreciated. I thank my family for that.

It seriously was the happiest I've ever been and I hope I get to experience this much love and happiness again and again.

I'm gonna be 21 this year, and honestly, I don't feel like an adult. I have the faintest idea of what's coming for me but I know I will just keep swimming. I have things I look forward to and so many more people to meet.

I don't really have resolutions, but I will have a motto for the year: "Always do things out of love"