Looking Back: A 2012 Review

New Year's Eve has been always watching the countdown live on TV, mesmorise at the fireworks and wishing all my friends a happy new year via text. Same ol' routine, same ol' feeling. But if I really think about it, 2012 has been a pretty awesome year. I started out the year deep in the depths of a upper-sixth-former, immune to all the thorny remarks from people personally detested the Malaysian Pre-Uni system and finished the year with a long holiday ahead, a deeper love for my homecity and an increasing amount of awesome blog readers, well, compared to 12 months ago or since I've started blogging! So, I guess 2012 deserves a little pat on the back and maybe two thumbs up.

Here are some of the highlights that made 2012, one of my favourite years in my whole 19 living years, soon to be 20 living years! yay

1. CNY in KL // 2. Spiderman fever // 3. Pariss hotel skydeck // 4. Jon's Farewell at Loon Sing //
5. Seremban // 6. Fraser's Hill // 7. Xmas BBQ Party // 8. Siblings! 

1. Family Ties

This whole year, like any other year, I think my family has gotten closer and wackier by the month! Chinese New Year in 2012 was a great one! We finally went for the annual reunion lunch at my dad's cousin's place in Taman Pelangi, after skipping it for two years. Dinner with my maternal family's always a great one :) // I'm grateful to have a really sporting and outdoorsy immediate family. If there was a word to best describe us, the word would probably be 'active' or 'hyper'. 2012 itself, we went to a couple of places and tried new food. Went on the Spiderman/Batman/The Avengers movie marathon. // My dad being totally random and bought GroupOn vouchers for a rooftop dinner at Pariss Hotel which I got to take the scenic skyline of Bukit Indah. // Got to go back to my mum's hometown in Seremban with cousins. Hiked around Fraser's Hill and shivered like naked cavemen. // Spent the last few days of 2012 with a bang, barbecue-ing skewered wings and salmon slices in tandem with Christmas.

1. Bowling session // 2. Putrajaya! // 3. Class party // 4. Pn. Gan's farewell //
5. Sports day // 6. Leaders in action forum //7-8. I graduated! without a mortar board

2. Last year of school life

2012 was the last year that I was ever going to go to school in a uniform and it was also the last year I was going to be in a classroom with some like-minded friends. It was also the year I got a little taste of responsibility, broke some of my personal barriers and none of the above would be possible if it wasn't with this awesome bunch of classmates I have. // Bowling sessions were never really my thing until I tried it out for the first time! I still remember Gup scored like crazy while I sucked like crazy! // The Student Council trip to KL in February was one trip that I'll probably have a problem forgetting! Best part was probably when my roommates and I played the card version of Monopoly while chomping on Subway cookies with the K-pop  music playing on TV. Check out the video I made about it here. // We were pros at keeping ourselves busy when a teacher's absent for a few days, we throw impromptu parties and chat the day away! Shhhhh. Some of our famous topics were ghost stories, gossips, and love life testimonies. We were pretty much the funnest gang in the whole school. Oh yeah //  At first, I really didn't like the idea of dancing in front of the whole school, but I'm really glad I did 'cause it was after all the last year of school for me. And come on, it's not everyday you see a multi-racial group of classmates dancing to a Hindi song, no? So, we did it and it turned out really well and had awesome feedback till we were wanted for a couple more events! Such an amazing experience! // Being a sixth-former does come with its many perks and one of them is the chance to actually meet and interact with a public figure. In my case, it was the witty and sharp-tongued former-politician Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz. Though it wasn't such a pleasant forum that we had with her, but I'm still glad I met her and I took something out from that event - nothing is always what it seems. // When there's a hello, there's always a goodbye. In November, I graduated and it was pretty much the beginning of another transition. Inevitable and sad. It was nice getting to goof around with the girls while it lasted :)

1. My birthday- Jan // 2-3. Nay's birthday-Mar // 4. Gup's birthday-Oct //
5. After Mid-year exams // 6. Prom // 7-8. Post STPM

3. Three BlackWidows

Gosh, where do I begin? All I know is that within the first few days of school, we hit it off with a bang! Their company in school is really the reason school was fun and worth being looked forward to. Gup will be going off about how Dr. Who changed her world and this hot Sikh guy in temple was being such a jerk while Nay will be going on about her feelings towards her online friend then (now boyfriend) and hoping that the WiFi is working so that they could chat. hahaha Who could forget, Gup's german-sounding 'Haaaaaaaveyoumetted?' which caught Nay and I agape in confusion. Gosh, how we teased and laughed about everything and everyone in school. Our inside jokes and nicknames just to poke fun at some of our mates like 'dinosaur', 'burst lips', 'tweetybird', 'susu' etc. Oh! and our coincidental absence! I remember there was one week when each day, there was one of us who were absent and Pn. Florence actually thought we planned it! Hahaha We are truly the 3 Musketeers and the 3 Stooges, Pn Flo likes to associate us with! They taught me a lot of the 'adult world' and therefore, I grew up but still learning. Plus, they are good looking people and very photogenic, I might add. Did a little shoot with them, check it out on Flickr! Although I'm the oldest by a few months, I think I'm probably the most unpolluted one. hahahaha So thanks for making Form 6 life a blast and being there for me, whenever I needed y'all! xx  

1. FRIM // 2. Wicked @ SG // 3. Harry Potter @ SG // 4. Melaka //
5. MBS @ SG // 6. Seremban // 7. Melaka // 8. Fraser's Hill

4. Travel

I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to travel quite a bit in 2012. Nothing that requires a flight ticket (I wish) or vaccinations, just local places with good food and great company on a budget and a light backpack.  First trip of the year was with my schoolmates to Kuala Lumpur for a school exchange with Victoria Institution. Amazed at fireflies, tried rabbit satay, hiked through a forest institute, checked out our prospects in law and shopped shopped shopped. We stayed at a homestay and I think that's where real camaraderie happens :) // Being a huge musical buff and wanted to see Wicked for a really looooong time, I was more than delighted when the Aussie cast decided to do shows in Singapore! It was such a wonderful and epic experience with like-minded peeps. Read how I cried like Bieber just stripped in front of me here! // I went for two exhibitions in 2012 and I'm really glad I did. I was there when Titanic sank and Harry actually gave me his invisibility cloak. Wanna know how I did it? Click here and here! // Met some new AIESECer peeps from the US of A, Canada, Brazil and China and it was such an honour to play tour guide for a day in historical Melaka and get lost with them. It was a blind-leading-the-blind situation, but fun. // Play tour guide again to my third aunt's family in MBS Singapore. This time, I knew every nook and cranny and that was when I became a pro *wink* // In December, after all the killer examinations that put me through hell for about 7 days, I went full-on travel mode and was charmed by quaint Seremban, ate to-die-for Nyonya cuisine in Melaka and toned up my legs by hiking around Fraser's Hill. I was and still am blessed. Check out the pictures of my seremba trip on Flickr!

1. Food Republique // 2. Roost Juice + Bar // 3. Maco Bakery // 4. Medan Larkin Bomba // 5. Senibong Nasi Lemak // 6. Roost Salad Bar // 7-8. The Marco Polo Kitchen

5. MyJB

This last year, I got to go to different places and explore my hometown even more than ever. There were some good experiences and some not-so-good ones, but all in all shaped me to love and appreciate my home much more. And I figured I share with you guys my home, Johor Bahru through a segment in my blog called My Johor Bahru, where I post eateries to add to your Must-Try List and places or events you have to be in JB! Check out my phots of my Marco Polo experience on Flickr!

1. India Film Showcase // 2. Paso Bumbung // 3-4. JB Arts Fest // 5.-8 GEGO

6. The Arts in JB

Initially, I thought the arts scene in JB is a lost cause until I found out that JOHO and the JB Arts Festival provides an outlet for Johorians to showcase their talents in various art forms and at the same time inspires and encourages the importance of the arts, here in JB. I've been to some of their events this year and I'm so thrilled that they exist! In March, I got to see the potential in local filmakers in an indie film showcase and found myself in a picture four years ago. What are the odds right? Then, came Paso Bumbung and then, the JB Arts Fest provided us events to go to to unwind and be inspired like photo exhibitions and plays. GEGO2012 was one of my first youth festival I've ever been to and it was really great experience.

All in all, I think 2012 was a great year, filled with joy, happiness with it's little dose of bitterness which I think adds edge. I think I have a good feeling about 2013 though. Well, we'll just wait and see then :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(this post was meant to be published on new year's eve, but I guess my birthday is not so bad a day too!)

have a good day ahead :)