It helps you own your accomplishments. It reminds you that despite the feeling of overwhelm you may experience, especially as a new year begins, you made some things happen last year.
GOODBYE, 2019
JANUARY
I spent Christmas and New Years' in Japan and Copenhagen with my family and my boyfriend respectively. The festive season was filled with so much love, laughter and joy. Flew back from Copenhagen to Singapore on the 8th of January and stayed in my sister's room (for a few months) as she was still doing her internship in Japan and I wanted some solitude to reflect on my life.
Read "Sputnik Sweetheart" by Haruki Murakami and thus began my obsession with his surrealist novels. Had a HTHT over the phone with a beautiful friend of mine, Gwen Thong, who truly opened my heart and mind to beginning to notice the things and people that already existed in my life if I truly took the time to see.
FEBRUARY
My baby sent me a Valentine's Day hamper with red and pink roses, milk chocolates, a cuddly custard-brown bear and the sweetest poem ever (because I mentioned to him in passing that he should write me one). I cried because it was the loveliest gesture, and I missed him so much... It's hard when your boyfriend lives on the other side of the world. #longdistance
Performed at Wala Wala @ Holland Village with a new guitarist, Justin Low. Became a ColorMeHappy Cosmetics Ambassador thanks to Aunty Winnie's friend, Debbie Kay, who also taught me how to set-up this website. I met Riley Huang for the first time! Got a job as a Facebook Live host with Flux TV and met Jayden Lim. Worked with my talented MUA friend, Adrienne B Wong on photoshoot collaborations with Riz Photography SG as well as Khai Visuals. I began writing my first NAC grant to produce and promote my EP of original music, and made a great friend, Raf Soundwalker, in the process.
MARCH
Hosted CBeebies Live! with MEI in Genting Highlands, Malaysia. Had the best roommate Sheila Mitu who'd work out at the gym with me almost every morning. We also spent most of our allowance on food at the best restaurant there — Most days, I'd order muesli for breakfast, poached salmon for lunch and XO fried rice for dinner. We were truly living the life.
APRIL
Travelled the UK with Adonis: We went to London, Salisbury (Stonehenge), Bath, Cardiff, Oxford, Edinburgh and Fort William (Scotland). We also met up with my family and my best friend, Nunt, in London. It was the first time I had a Eurail Pass, and navigating the trains (which Adonis is great at) was fun i.e. plans failed, and we really had to improvise multiple times.
MAY
Performed "Songs That We Grew Up With" at the Esplanade Concourse with Reno Sam.
I made a video montage for Adonis for his 22nd birthday on the 29th of May (which I'm very proud of)!!! #bestgirlfriend
JUNE
Hosted a live show at the S.E.A. Aquarium with RWS as well as a Go Jetters! live show at Forum The Shopping Mall with Millennium Entertainment International.
JULY
Went to Roskilde Festival, met Fingal in Sweden, took a flight to Barcelona and happened to meet Nini who was travelling Europe with his French boyfriend. What are the chances! Absolutely in love with the Spanish music playing at the clubs.
AUGUST
Took the train from Barcelona to Lyon, made a pit stop in Switzerland, and then headed to Verona, Milan, Venice and then took a ferry to Patras in the Peloponnese. Met up with Sevie and Kostas, drove around ancient Corinth and stayed a night at Nafplio. Then we drove to Athens, took a train up to Litochoro, then headed to Thessaloniki for a few days. Flew to London, took a train to Amsterdam (got stuck one night in Belgium because there were no seats) and then headed back to Denmark.
SEPTEMBER
Spent 2 weeks in Melbourne, staying with Mitch and Mel in Brunswick. Attended their Art Mulch Melbourne Fringe Festival event which was held in their basement (theme: impermanence). Met up with Ava, Whiley, Lauren and Arjun while I was there. Made a fantastic new friend, Noor Fadel, who brought me to the fanciest buffet dinner at The Conservatory (where we met a famous footie player in Australia) and took me to the Eureka Towers, and to get coffee at a back alley in the city area.
OCTOBER
Started rehearsals for The Gingerbread Man with SRT's The Little Company with the best cast mates anyone could ever ask for: Ryan Ang, Natalie Yeap and Juni Goh. It's the first time I truly felt at home performing in a theatre production with the same cast for nearly 2 months straight. #happyfamily
NOVEMBER
2.5 weeks into the Gingerbread Man. Worked out some of my originals with Reno Sam (my favourite pianist/arranger, and an amazingly talented friend)! Nat had a Supervillain themed party, and I got be Blair Waldorf for a day. #workbitch
DECEMBER
Had our last performance of The Gingerbread Man on the 6th of December. My body decided to give up on me for 2 weeks, but recovered just in time for a performance with Academy of Rock at SCAPE on the 26th of December! Flew to Denmark on the 28th at night, and arrived on the 29th at 08:10.
HELLO, 2020